The Winter Room

Wayne is Eldon’s brother and two years older than him. Due to Eldon’s frail health and younger age, Wayne assumes more responsibilities on the farm, executing much hard work. He does not complain and confronts the harshness of farming life with patience and strength. While Eldon is more talkative and thoughtful about his surroundings, he explains that “Wayne is working so hard there isn’t time to say much of anything” (27). Wayne often disagrees with Eldon’s views. For instance, when Eldon daydreams about winter, saying there is a day in between fall and winter, Wayne believes “there aren’t any divisions in things” (39), suggesting that the changing seasons do not affect his inner world. However, Wayne has his own desires as he dreams of leaving the farm and becoming a professional baseball player when he grows up. 

Despite his realistic outlook on the world, Wayne also has a vivid imagination and loves storytelling, indicating that he also searches for meaning and inspiration. The boys bond while reading a Western novel, finding inspiration in heroic cowboy figures, and Wayne endeavors to perform a stunt featured in the book. For him, heroes are “a great thing” (60). Uncle David’s stories are also influential and crucial for Wayne’s character development. As Eldon explains, the stories have “become a real part of his thinking” (54), and he believed them. While Wayne becomes mad at Uncle David for depicting himself as a hero, he changes his mind when he sees him acting as a youthful woodcutter. Wayne demonstrates his keen perception and understanding, realizing Uncle David’s spiritual power. As he explains to Eldon, the moment belongs to Uncle David, keeping him from his enthusiasm over Uncle’s miraculous reenactment of his past feat. Ultimately, Wayne’s doubts vanish as he realizes that even stories about simple people hold value.

Uncle David is Eldon and Wayne’s “great-uncle,” a very old man. He is a first-generation immigrant who came to America to work as a woodcutter. He is a crucial character in the story as an educational and influential figure for Eldon and Wayne. As an old immigrant, Uncle David remains rooted in the culture of his “old country,” Norway. Eldon describes him as a religious and philosophical person who has a collection of “big books” in the Norwegian language, including the Bible. Uncle David spends time reading quietly in the kitchen when he is not working around the farm, but the books’ contents remain mysterious to Eldon. Eldon admires Uncle David, who often uses figurative language and passes on philosophical ideas, reinforcing the boy’s thinking. As Eldon notes, “sometimes Uncle David is never wrong” (28). 

Uncle David emerges as a gifted storyteller, as the culmination of the narrative is his storytelling sessions in the winter room. His stories demonstrate The Importance of Storytelling in Character Formation and Growth. Apart from their formative role, his stories also reveal parts of his life. Most of the stories are memories of his youth. Uncle David worked as a woodcutter in Norway, where he fell in love with Alida, a beautiful young woman. The couple planned to immigrate to America together, but Alida became pregnant. Tragedy hit Uncle David as Alida and the child died during birth. Uncle David was heartbroken and wandered for days alone in the woods until his friend Nels found him and suggested he travel to America with him. Despite his survival and resilience, Uncle David never overcame his loss, carrying his trauma through the years, embracing solitude and never remarrying. 

The woodcutter’s story is ultimately a story about himself as he becomes nostalgic about his youth. He attempts to distance himself from the story, narrating it in the third person, but Eldon’s father reveals the truth. Uncle David was “a wonder with an ax” (58) and admired by everyone for his skills. Uncle David recalls the period with a melancholic tone, conveying the emotions of loss and grief as part of the immigrant experience. He notes that “the young man who was the best cutter of all thought that his new life would last forever, only it didn’t” (59). Uncle David is hurt that Wayne contests his story, calling him a liar, and stops his storytelling for days. This, though, also ignites his desire to reconnect with his former self. While Uncle David emphasizes his alienation from his past life, the revival of woodcutting suggests that he is the same man internally. As Wayne observes, “He’s young again” (65), assuming a spiritual power that helps him overcome the impediment of his old age. In the end, Uncle David continues his stories, and the boys remain inspired by him.

Eldon’s parents lead a simple but hard life that revolves around their farm. His father is responsible for working the land and doing the hardest work around the farm. Eldon often observes his father at work and accompanies him in several chores, like milking the cows, fencing them, plowing, and haying, among others. Like Eldon, his father also loves animals, especially horses. He often speaks to them as if they are “good friends.” The family also enjoys moments of recreation after completing each day’s work, like trips to the lake and visits to town. Despite their struggles, he and Eldon’s mother have a loving relationship. Through his father, Eldon understands the harshness of farming and The Challenge of Farming Life in Early 20th-Century America. In one instance, he sees his father exhausted after haying and his mother comforting him as he sings the sad song, “The days are long and the nights are short” (31), indicating the struggles of making a living off the land. Although his mother remains a secondary figure in the book, she is also close to Eldon and is described as the head of the household and manages their money.