The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

Lindy is the novel’s protagonist and one of three dynamic characters in the story. Unlike her brothers, she has multiple layers and changes considerably. Lindy starts the story sucking her thumb and afraid to knock on the door of the allegedly haunted Stone House. Her initial fearfulness lays the groundwork for an arc that involves Confronting and Overcoming Fear. Sure enough, by the end of the story, she crosses a dangerous bridge by herself, coaxing Samuel Savant to help the Whangdoodle. Additionally, she survives the Splintercat on her own, and with Savant and her brothers, she overcomes other adversarial Whangdoodleland creatures. Lindy is seven for the entire story, but her resourcefulness and determination belie her age, and the siblings’ adventures make her an even stronger, more competent young person.

Lindy is an emotional person, and she cries often. The initial confrontation with Sidewinders in Part 2, Chapter 2, leaves her in tears. When she thinks the Prock won’t let her and her brothers meet the Whangdoodle, she cries again. Yet the narrative indicates that tears aren’t a sign of weakness. Savant calls Lindy “very brave,” adding, “[I]t’s all right to cry.