Tuck Everlasting

Natalie Babbitt

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1975

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-17

Chapters 18-20

Chapters 21-24

Chapter 25-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapter 25-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 25 Summary

Two weeks later when the summer heat has ebbed, Winnie sits in the yard and considers the night of Mae’s escape. She remembers curling up on the cot and hoping the constable wouldn’t notice she wasn’t as large as Mae. An enormous crash in the night kept her awake with fear until morning, when she saw the gallows had blown over in the storm.

The constable came to her sell with breakfast, only to fly into a rage when he saw her and that Mae was gone. Since she’s too young to be punished by the law, Winnie was released to her family, who asked her over and over why she helped the Tucks. Winnie cries and tells the only truth she can think of—that “in spite of everything, she loved them” (129). There’s been no sign of the Tucks since they escaped, and Winnie is confined to the yard indefinitely.

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While she sits in the yard, her toad plops down outside the fence. A dog comes by and makes to pounce on the toad, but before it can, Winnie snatches the toad and brings it through the bars to safety. Not wanting anything to happen to the toad, she runs up to her room, gets the bottle of spring water Jesse gave her, and pours it on the toad. Remembering her grandmother’s words about how toads absorbed water, Winnie sets the toad back outside the fence, telling it “you're safe. Forever” (135).

Epilogue Summary

Sixty-eight years later, Mae and Tuck return to Treegap. They ride a horse-pulled buggy past stores, multiple roads that weren’t there before, and a gas station, where a young man greets them as he works on an automobile. About three years ago, lightning struck the tall tree in the wood, and the rest of the trees were bulldozed.

While Mae shops for supplies, Tuck visits a cemetery outside of town. There, he finds Winnie’s grave. Tuck is sad but relieved by her passing and leaves the cemetery.

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On their way out of town, Tuck tells Mae about Winnie. They share a moment of sorrow for Jesse, but both are glad Winnie made the choice she did. A pickup truck roars past, nearly running over a toad. Tuck picks up the creature, saying “durn fool thing must think it's going to live forever” (141), and they continue onwards, Mae’s music box playing as they travel.

Chapter 25-Epilogue Analysis

Most of the book’s questions are resolved, with a few questions still left unanswered, such as the fate of the spring. Chapter 25 shows Winnie back at home. She is less restless and more content to be in the yard, knowing that, even if her family is strict, they love her. The heat and first week of August have passed, leaving cooler days where decisions are made less hastily and with less regret.

The incident with the toad and the dog shows how Winnie has grown into a protector. She saves the toad from a predator, the same as she rescued the Tucks from exposure. Her decision to pour the spring’s water on the toad makes it clear how much she cares about the creature. At the beginning of the book, Winnie was disinterested in the wood. Now that any curiosity about the place has been satisfied, she sees no harm in using the water Jesse gave her. She knows where the spring is and can get more if she wishes.

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The Epilogue takes place almost a century later and shows the advancements in technology, as well as how much a place can change in a relatively short amount of time. It is not made clear, but since Mae and Tuck mourn for Jesse, who doesn’t know about Winnie’s death.

Tuck is relieved and saddened by Winnie’s choice. While he loves her, he believes she did right by choosing to live a full life with an ending. The Tucks picking up the toad is an ironic and meaningful ending. They don’t know it’s the same toad Winnie used the water on; though, they may find out if they keep the creature and it doesn’t die. The toad is the last remaining part of Winnie in the world, so it is fitting that, if Winnie didn’t ultimately go with the Tucks, the creature she saved does.