Dandelion Wine is the story of the summer of Douglas Spaulding recounted in a series of vignettes that form a loose mosaic story. The titular drink, brewed by Spaulding's grandfather, comes to serve as a representation of packing all of summer's memories, sorrows, and joys into a single bottle. Each story focuses on a different facet of Douglas's summer experience, with themes ranging from young love to the power of imagination.
Douglas Spaulding — The protagonist of the novel, the entire summer is seen mostly through his eyes as a time of joys and sorrows. Douglas is imaginative, fanciful, and occasionally meditative on the state of the world. Most of the time, he aims to have fun as a 12-year old kid, but sometimes he lapses into philosophical brooding on topics, including life and death, more mature topics than what would be expected of his age. Bradbury has stated that Douglas is based on the childhood version of him, and in fact, "Douglas" is Bradbury's actual middle name, while "Spaulding" is his father's middle name.
Tom Spaulding — Douglas' younger brother, Tom is the more logical and skeptical one, often questioning his brother's seemingly inexplicable actions. Tom is also somewhat more childish and naïve than Douglas, often failing to understand the seriousness of Douglas' thoughts about his life; nonetheless, he oftenacts as the voice of reason when Douglas' imagination gets the better of him.
Charlie — A friend of Douglas and Tom, Charlie often hangs around with them. Charlie sometimes comments on a situation or on the behavior of other characters. Other than that, he gets little character development and acts as more of a side character for Douglas and Tom's adventures.
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