The Winter Room

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1989

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapters 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary: “Tuning”

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses animal cruelty and death.

Gary Paulsen introduces the book, emphasizing that the story requires the reader’s participation. He suggests that if books could “be more,” the book would have “the smells of old farms” (4), like the scents of hay, manure steaming during a winter day, calves being born, corn, and freshly fried potatoes. The book would also give sounds, like the sounds of bucksaws when men cut trees, cows chewing grass in the barn on a winter’s night, or the scream of pigs being slaughtered. Finally, if the book could be more, it would have light, like the “soft gold light” (5) beaming through the barn cracks, lantern glow, the grey cast of a winter day, or the morning radiance in summer when the cows wait to be milked. Because books cannot have smells, sounds, and light, they need readers to “bring” these elements to the stories from their imaginations.

Chapter 2 Summary: “Spring”

Eldon is an 11-year-old boy living on a large Minnesota farm at the edge of a forest with his brother Wayne, older by two years; his parents; his Uncle David; and Nels, Uncle David’s old friend. Eldon believes that Wayne knows more than him but disagrees that spring is a time of “awakening.” Eldon notes that everything is “soft” and “stinky” around the farm during springtime, and all the smells come out, making it an “awful mess.” The dead animals also “stink”. Eldon and Wayne often get in the muck with their father to help the cows into the barn, which Eldon does not enjoy, and when he sometimes falls, Wayne laughs with him.

The farm is 87 acres, reaching up to Hudson’s Bay. The family lives in a wooden house that has four rooms on the lower level. Eldon loves the kitchen with its smell of fresh bread and his mother’s cooking. Next to the kitchen is a dining room with a piano, but the family rarely uses it. Next to it is the living room, which the family calls “the winter room” (9) because they spend much time in it by the wood stove during the winter. His parents sleep in a room by the winter room while Eldon, Wayne, Uncle David, and Nels sleep in the upstairs rooms. Eldon notes that the family keeps an old Norwegian calendar, with writing he and Wayne cannot understand. Sometimes, his father, Uncle David, and Nels speak Norwegian, but his mother also cannot understand.

Eldon often asks his father about Uncle David. Uncle David has many books, including the Bible, in the Norwegian language. Sometimes, he spends time reading in the kitchen but never reveals the books’ contents to Eldon.

The farm also has a large barn and two granaries. Eldon notes that the farm is old, built before his grandfather arrived from the “old country,” although he does not know exactly how old, and nobody answers his questions. There is also a manger for the cows and calf pens. Eldon and Wayne help the young calves drink milk from buckets. The family sells their extra milk, grain, and eggs, and Eldon’s mother manages the money. Eldon enjoys the process of separating the milk from the cream. He and his brother also spend time in the horses’ stall with their two geldings, Jim and Stacker. Eldon marvels at their size and strength.

Eldon recalls a spring night two years ago when he and his parents visited town. His father drank beer and danced with his mother. Eldon and Wayne found a Zane Grey Western novel in the bar’s back room and took it home. The brothers read it and pretended to be cowboys. Wayne wanted to copy a stunt performed by the hero in the story, who jumped out of a window and onto his horse’s back. Eldon knew it was wrong but wanted to see him. Wayne led Stacker out of the stall and asked Eldon to hold him. Wayne climbed on a ladder in the barn and jumped toward Stacker. However, he estimated the distance wrong and fell to the ground. Stacker ran fast, crushing the pig fence. The pigs ran all over Wayne, and Eldon laughed.

Chapter 3 Summary: “Summer”

For Eldon and his family, “summer starts slow” (24). Eldon accompanies his father to town, taking the plowshares to the blacksmith before the plowing starts. Wayne must stay on the farm for work because he is older than Eldon. Eldon enjoys taking candy from the store in town.

At home, Eldon observes the plowing process. His mother brings lunch, and his father explains that early summer plowing is the best part of farming life. Eldon agrees and enjoys sitting on the tractor and watching. Eldon also observes the seagulls coming from Minnesota’s northern lakes and Hudson Bay. While they fly in beautiful rows, Eldon also notes that their feces dropping in the field “stink[s].” After plowing, Eldon observes how his father gets the horses to work the soil more. He admires the horses’ strength recalling how they pull the stumps out of the swamp when his father wants to clear it. His father prompts him to notice how strong their legs are, and Eldon thinks about how the horses still allow him to climb their legs “like trees.”

Wayne works hard during the summer. Eldon wonders why they cannot rest during the season, and Uncle David suggests they work harder because there is much light. Eldon’s parents keep him from working as hard because of an old illness that still affects him. He remembers how he coughed constantly, spitting blood. He plays hard with Wayne, though, sometimes secretly from his parents.

The hard work continues with milking and planting all kinds of seeds. One morning, Eldon notices his father talking to the horses like they are “friends,” and the horses “whicker” as a response.

The haying process is hard work, even with the neighbors’ help. Threshing, though, is much longer and harder. Eldon’s mother cooks all day and night to provide food. After thrashing, Eldon and Wayne play in the barn, jumping into straw piles.

Eldon recalls last summer, when one day he saw his father in the barn singing a sad song, “The days are long and the nights are short” (31). His mother rubbed his father’s shoulders, and Eldon realized how hard “summer work” is. Even Wayne and Eldon are quiet during supper before going to bed for the next day. Summer feels endless until one September day when Eldon’s father signals it is time to go to the lake. Then, Eldon knows fall is coming.

Chapters 1-3 Analysis

In the opening chapter, the author emphasizes the role of the reader and the importance of the senses in the narrative. Paulsen establishes the setting by describing the smells, sounds, and light of old farms, noting that readers must supply these sensory elements through their own imagination. Using the title “Tuning” as a metaphor, Paulsen introduces the reader to the world of his story, a farm in rural northern Minnesota, creating mental images that are central throughout the narrative and guide the reading experience. In this way, the chapter highlights the significance of the visual, olfactory, and auditory imagery in reflecting on The Challenge of Farming Life in Early 20th-Century America while creating immediacy to connect readers to the characters.

The story unfolds through Eldon’s perspective as the first-person narrator and protagonist. Eldon describes his surroundings in detail as a boy living on an isolated Minnesota farm with his family, an environment that shapes his character and emotional world. Eldon’s first-person limited point of view illuminates his unique emotions and experiences as a kid. While the adult world sometimes perplexes him, he remains a curious and observing child, navigating the harshness, simplicity, and beauty of pre-mechanized farming life. Even though he and his brother Wayne go to school, their lives mainly revolve around their family and farm work. Eldon’s narration provides glimpses of farming life, which constitute his world. He describes the chores during spring and summer, the busiest seasons of the year; he participates in several tasks despite his young age and fragile health. Along with Wayne, Eldon helps his father with the cows and the milking, watches the plowing and planting process, and does his part in haying. Therefore, Eldon learns early on the responsibilities and demands of farming that teach him about the value of hard work and self-sufficiency. Eldon repeats the phrase, “It’s something to see” (27), suggesting that despite the struggles of rural life and the chores that are not always “fun” for him, he is emotionally connected to the farm as his home.

This section introduces Uncle David’s character, reflecting on The Importance of Storytelling in Character Formation and Growth. While Eldon shares a close bond with his parents, Uncle David emerges as a crucial figure in his life. He is an old and religious man, a first-generation immigrant from Norway whose specific age is unknown to Eldon. Eldon notes that the man is “sort of [his] great uncle” (9) and spends much of his time reading the Bible and books in Norwegian, depicting him as a pioneer. This section hints at Uncle David’s storytelling sessions during the winter, a ritual that Eldon longs for throughout the year. His admiration for Uncle David is evident as Eldon remains attentive to his sayings even though he cannot always make sense of them. Eldon explains that Uncle David says, “things are like something else to make you think about them” (27). This suggests that, as a storyteller, Uncle David often uses figurative language conveying a deeper meaning and ideas through his words and stories. Therefore, Uncle David assumes an educative role for Eldon and Wayne, manifesting through his storytelling, which is central to their character development.

Eldon’s close relationship with his brother is immediately established in the narrative, underscoring the brotherhood motif. As Wayne is two years older, Eldon believes “he knows more than [Eldon] can ever know” (7), indicating that he looks up to him and that the two share a bond of love and trust. Apart from brothers, Eldon and Wayne are also each other’s primary friends, emphasizing the depth of their intimacy and emotional connection. The two engage in play and conversation, revealing their desires, dreams, and vivid imagination. Simultaneously, though, Wayne and Eldon often have conflicting perspectives on the world. For example, both boys are inspired by stories, which is evident when Wayne mimics a cowboy stunt they read in a Western novel, jumping on their horse. In this case, Eldon displays a more mature mindset, believing that Wayne’s idea might be dangerous for him and the horse. Still, he does not stop Wayne, and when he falls, Eldon laughs, and the two chase each other. Such instances of play and humor are central to the brothers’ relationship, often transforming into learning experiences that the boys share as they grow together. Therefore, their conflicts and differences are also a positive part of their connection, actively challenging each other to develop and grow.

The symbol of changing seasons is integral to the narrative as Paulsen divides the chapters according to this natural cycle of change and transformation. In this section, spring and summer revolve around the various farm labor tasks like plowing, planting, and milking. The text develops the symbolism of each season through Eldon’s perspective, emphasizing a more realistic conceptualization and the conflict of man versus nature. For instance, Eldon disagrees that spring is a time of “awakening” because several smells, like that of dead animals, “stink,” and there are maggots and flies. While spring remains a symbol of rebirth and fertility and is a productive time for Eldon’s family, Eldon acknowledges its less charming aspects. Equally, while summer is commonly considered a time of rest and freedom, it includes hard labor for Eldon’s family. Paulsen challenges common conceptions of the seasons’ symbolism, and while he explores the cyclic nature of life as one of constant change and renewal, he underscores both its beautiful and harsh aspects.

Paulsen’s challenging of a romanticized view of nature also connects to the theme of Living Attuned to the Natural World. As Eldon and his family regulate their lives around the natural changes of each season to work on the land and provide for themselves, their lifestyle is more connected to nature than society. This becomes evident in the family’s relationship with animals, an emerging motif that, in this section, signifies the close bond with nature. For instance, Jim and Stacker, the family horses, are like “good friends” to Eldon’s father, who loves them like his own family. This is influential for Eldon who grows up learning to respect nature and connect with the environment in a meaningful way. Participating in farm work also familiarizes Eldon with the intricate relationships of nature, land, and animals, a key thematic element in the novel.