Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Grandpa Spaulding

Guide/Mentor: Grandpa Spaulding

The boys look to Grandpa Spaulding to provide the two major harbingers of summer: the hanging of the porch swing and the making of dandelion wine. They're out walking with him the night they suggest the Happiness Machine to Leo Auffmann, and Grandpa's the one who tells Doug to take Aunt Rose out while he packs her suitcase and buys her a train ticket, effectively saving Grandma. Grandpa Spaulding is Doug's most stable and respected link to the world of adults, which isn't easy, given that Doug thinks adults and kids are practically separate species.