42 pages • 1-hour read
The Winter Room
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Symbols & Motifs
Brotherhood
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses animal cruelty and death.
The bond of brotherhood between Eldon and Wayne is a recurrent motif and a crucial part of the story being key to their development. Eldon looks up to his older brother and notes that Wayne “knows more than [he] can ever know” (7). While they do go to school, the two spend most of their time on the family’s isolated farm and are best friends. After working hard on the farm, Eldon and Wayne enjoy moments of rest and fun together. They frequently play games and laugh with each other when they are clumsy or make mistakes, developing each other’s humor. The two brothers often fight because of their different characters and perspectives. However, their fights are part of their childhood play, and their bond helps them overcome their arguments or quarrels. Eldon and Wayne have a “special place” somewhere in the granary where they “sit […] and talk about things” (60). This indicates that conflict and conversation are part of the brothers’ connection and have a formative role in each other’s emotional development. Despite their differences, Eldon and Wayne share a love of stories, which indicates their vivid imaginations. The storytelling ritual in the winter room is also part of their bonding. When they fight over the reality of Uncle David’s story, the brothers share the intimate experience of his brief transformation, and together they form a new understanding of him. As they continue sharing Uncle David’s stories, the siblings create common memories that define their lives.
Changing Seasons
The symbol of changing seasons is central to the narrative as Paulsen structures the story around it. In the text, the change of seasons becomes a metaphor for the cyclic nature of life. As Eldon experiences the different seasons, the text highlights that change is inherent in human existence, bringing challenges, struggles, and new beginnings. In this way, the story represents life as a continual circle of birth, death, and rebirth, following the rhythms of the natural world. The changing seasons reflect the seasonal transformations around Eldon’s family farm, and each requires different labor activities. While highlighting the process of renewal and rebirth in nature’s beauty, the motif also underscores the conflict of man versus nature, as Eldon’s family has to adjust to the seasonal changes to make a living off the land.
Simultaneously, the seasonal changes also reflect Eldon’s emotional world, as the text illuminates his unique perspective on the different seasons. This suggests that the experience of change is unique for each person, and the story presents a nuanced representation of the meaning of seasons. For instance, Eldon does not romanticize spring as a time of “awakening” and also recognizes its less inviting aspects. He notes that everything around the farm is an “awful mess” during springtime and unpleasant smells dominate. Equally, summer is less a time of recreation and more a period of hard work for the family.
Winter is the most important season for Eldon. Instead of representing the season as and time of stagnation and solitude, Eldon describes it as a time when everything changes “like magic.” As he notes, “Winter is all changes” (41). The external change of winter also signifies an internal transformation. As Eldon’s family gathers to listen to Uncle David’s storytelling, the process has a significant emotional impact on the characters. Therefore, winter is the season that allows the family to come closer together. In this way, the story highlights the positive and the negative aspects of life’s changes, emphasizing the intricate connection of humans to the natural world.
Animals
Animals are a recurrent motif as an integral part of farming life and the characters’ relationships with the natural world. Eldon interacts with them daily, helping with the feeding of the cows, the calves, and the chickens. Eldon and his father’s love of horses underscores their special connection with animals. Their two horses are named Jim and Stacker, and the text uses personification to describe their beauty and Eldon’s reverence for them. Eldon describes how his father talks to them as if “they weren’t horses but good friends,” and their “whicker” seems like “a kind of answer” to him (28). This scene of communication between his father and the horses indicates to Eldon that horses are special beings. To Eldon, Jim and Stacker’s legs feel “like trees” as he climbs on them; this simile also illustrates the setting more vividly and highlights the significant role of animals as part of the natural world.
The issue of killing animals in the novel underscores the complex relationship between humans and nature. Eldon hates the killing of chickens, cows, and pigs during fall, and the text graphically describes the process to indicate its impact on Eldon’s psychology. The bleeding of the pigs’ throats reminds him of his own sickness during which he was spitting blood, and the events traumatize him so that he dreams of “blood and throats” (35). The text suggests that animal killing is part of farming life, offering necessary sustenance to Eldon’s family. As his mother notes, “Something has to die so we can live” (35). The scene of silence after his father kills the pigs, when Uncle David and Nels take off their hats, indicates the family’s respect for animals. In this way, the text emphasizes a more balanced relationship with animals where people do not kill them for fun or sport. Still, the killing remains ambiguous as Eldon and his family cannot stand the violent process.
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