Part 1: Chapter 5, The Heart of Winter Summary and Analysis

The Mayflower sailed to Plymouth Harbor on December 16. The Pilgrims took three days to decide where to begin building. The site they finally choose gave a good view of the surrounding land. The area had already been cleared by Native Americans as well. Stormy weather the next few days prevented them from starting to build. This, combined with the decreasing food supplies and the growing sickness among the passengers, made the situation grim. They put the first frame for a home up on December 25. They completed the first building two weeks later. Only seven houses would be built the first year, along with four common houses, as death claimed more and more passengers.

Tensions ran high in the coming weeks. Two or three people, on average, died each day in February...