The Winter Room

As the story advances, the symbolism of changing seasons extends through Eldon’s experience of fall and winter. During fall, Eldon describes moments of leisure and family bonding during trips to the lake, which he and Wayne particularly enjoy as they play on the water and have a barbeque with their parents, Uncle David, and Nels. For Eldon’s family, fall includes more moments of relaxation than summer, and they also consider it the most enjoyable season, a period of harvesting. The text juxtaposes Eldon’s viewpoint of fall with that of his family, as the boy hates the season, considering it instead a period of “killing” and “blood” due to the animals’ slaughter. Eldon’s narration graphically describes the slaughtering of pigs; his father “cuts” the animal while it “screams” and “bleeds to death” (37). The smell of blood and the screams traumatize Eldon, indicating his emotional connection with animals. This simultaneously develops animals as a motif in the section, as they are an integral part of farming life. To comfort him, Eldon’s mother explains to him, “Something has to die so we can live” (35). This suggests that animals are key to the family’s sustenance. Even though the killing is necessary, Eldon understands that nobody in the family enjoys it. As he observes, his father “turns away,” and Uncle David and Nels quietly take off their hats. This scene emphasizes that Eldon’s family respects animals for sustaining the family, representing a more balanced relationship with them. Nevertheless, Eldon’s description emphasizes that cruelty against animals remains equally disturbing and ambivalent for the boy. 

As the year advances into winter, Eldon describes the season as a period of transformation, transition, and change. While these changes might often receive negative symbolic connotations, Eldon describes the season in a positive light, conveying his enthusiasm for its arrival. As he narrates, “Winter is all changes. Snow comes and makes it all different outside, so things you see in the other times of the year are covered and gone” (41). For Eldon, winter’s “quiet” and silence signifies peace and beauty. For instance, when he describes the snow around the farm, he suggests that the white covering makes the machines, the barn, and the granary look like “white animals in the new light” instead of machines and buildings (40), which he considers magical. Thus, winter’s transformational power positively impacts Eldon’s psychology, while the changes it brings foreshadow new beginnings. This is emphasized by Eldon’s description of the transition between fall and winter as a liminal space. Eldon argues with Wayne when he asserts that there is “the place between” (40) when fall ends, but winter has not yet arrived. As Eldon feels like being in an in-between point, this liminality represents a new stage in his character journey, as winter leads him toward new realizations and growth. 

For Eldon, Uncle David’s stories are key to his emotional growth and the highlight of the seasons in the family’s life, indicating The Importance of Storytelling for Character Formation and Growth. Uncle David’s storytelling becomes a winter ritual as “every night starts the same” (43). The family gathers in the “winter room,” the living room, which becomes a space for family bonding, knowledge transmission, and amusement, constituting a formative process for Eldon and Wayne. As Eldon emphasizes, Uncle David always begins his stories with “it was when I was young” (43), indicating that his tales derive from his memory and his own formative life experiences. The text foreshadows that storytelling becomes a point of conflict when Eldon explains that Wayne almost ruined their winter ritual because Uncle David’s stories blur the boundaries between myth and reality. 

As Eldon notes, Uncle David’s stories are diverse, and each one conveys something different. In this section, Eldon singles out Alida’s story, which illuminates Uncle David’s character and connects to the immigrant experience. The story of Alida recalls the past tragedy of the death of Uncle David’s wife and child in Norway. This explains Uncle David’s solitude as he notes that he never “healed” from this loss and never remarried. Since the story is always the first in the family’s storytelling ritual, it emphasizes Uncle David’s inner trauma and struggles to find a new life in America. He reveals that Nels is the one who brought him to America, promising new possibilities in a new land. Uncle David’s story represents the immigrant experience as one of trauma, struggle, and survival. Simultaneously, Uncle David counters notions of an idealized American immigration story, suggesting that seeking a new life also includes grief and loss. In this way, Uncle David conveys insights into adulthood to Eldon and Wayne, reinforcing their maturity and growth.