The Long Winter

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1940

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-8

Chapters 9-16

Chapters 17-24

Chapters 25-33

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Blizzards

Blizzards as a motif highlight The Beauty and Danger of the Natural World, because in certain moments they are described as beautiful and almost magical, but the power of the storms and their persistence through seven long months creates dangers for the homesteaders. The blizzards in the story serve as the primary antagonist to the Ingalls family and the town of De Smet in the novel. One immediate danger caused by blizzards is that, because the storms strike so suddenly, townspeople can be caught unawares and become easily lost. Laura and Carrie—as well as many of the schoolchildren and their teacher—were almost lost in a blizzard in November that hit while they were in school. Once school is cancelled because there is no coal, most people do not leave their homes except to get more supplies.

The blizzards are so severe that they stop the trains, which were the only source of supplies for the Dakota Territory. Without supplies, coal and food dwindle dangerously, and people begin to starve. This prompts Almanzo to go on a dangerous mission to find a homestead with stored wheat, but the mission almost fails because, “[b]efore them in the sky, star after star went out as the black cloud rose” (285). Another storm rises, and because of the isolation of De Smet, if the two young men do not get to town before the storm hits, they will be lost on the prairie and die. Without the wheat they bring, the town of De Smet will also starve.

The near-constant blizzards have a psychological impact on the Ingalls family. The blizzard “was always there, outside the walls, waiting sometimes, then pouncing, shaking the house, roaring, snarling, and screaming in rage” (310). It is described like vicious animal, which stalks the house. The psychological impact the storms have are due in part to the isolation that they cause. The storms are so severe that it is not safe to even walk across the street to another building during a blizzard, which means that families are alone in their homes until the storm ends. Blizzards symbolize the powerful dangers of the natural world.

Music

Music is a recurring motif in The Long Winter, which helps the family stay connected and bear hardships. Music represents hope throughout the story, and, along with storytelling, it helps the family process and endure the difficulties that they must face. Most evenings, the family listens to Pa playing the fiddle or singing. Pa seems to have songs to represent any issue the family may have. Pa is the primary facilitator of music, but at a critically low moment, the family endures a blizzard while they wait for news on whether Almanzo and Cap returned to town with the wheat on which their survival depends. The cold has made Pa’s hands too stiff to play the fiddle, and it impacts him so much that he begins yelling at the storm that is raging around the house. Laura notes that “in all the hard times before, Pa had made music for them all. Now no one could make music for him” (289). This is a moment of low morale for the entire family, but Laura is the one who solves the issue when she suggests that they sing, illustrating Pioneer Resilience and Ingenuity. The family sings together as the storm rages on, and “Pa sang again, and the stately measures were suited to the thankfulness they were all feeling” (291). Music is a psychological balm for the family, reminding them that they can work together and stay connected even through extreme hardships. When the trains finally come at the end of the story, and the family has Christmas in May, Pa’s hands are finally limber enough to play the fiddle, which illustrates that the Ingallses have surmounted this hardship and are optimistic for the future.

Trains

In The Long Winter, trains represent a lifeline to the outside world. Once the storms begin, the trains are not always able to reach town and, more than once, Pa and other men in town go to dig out the train tracks so that the train gets to De Smet. The community relies on the train, which brings groceries, coal, and other necessities to town. Because of the Dakota Territory’s isolation, the train is the only way for the town to get those necessary supplies. Laura thinks that “surely, surely, the train must come” (163), underscoring their desperation for this lifeline through repetition.

Because of the snow, it is announced that the train will not be coming until spring. This is a physical and psychological blow to the community because their only connection to the outside world is severed. The trains failing to come connects to the theme of Pioneer Resilience and Ingenuity, because the dwindling supplies mean that the Ingallses must find substitutes for necessities. Ma learns to grind wheat into bread instead of flour, while Pa makes hay sticks when the coal runs out.