Annual Cycles of Change

Emphasized throughout The Winter Room is the perpetual changes that occur from season to season as experienced on a northern Minnesota farm. The author divides the book into four main sections, each named for a season of the year.

The story begins with spring, and the first thing noted by the narrator, Eldon, is how spring differs from winter. In winter everything is frozen, but in spring it thaws and things begin to smell. The ground gets soft and muddy, making the farm chores a nuisance. The work gradually increases as summer approaches, but for Eldon, summer begins when his father takes the plowshares into town to be sharpened.

Summer is a time of hard work for the entire family. They often do not eat their evening meal until late at night, and then get up early again the next morning to start working again...