The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen

Summary :

This is the story of a boy who believe that in the spring everything is soft. But his older brother named Wayne and Miss Halverson who teaches eighth grade said that spring was a time of awakening. Eldon think that Miss Halverson is wrong and Wayne is also wrong. During spring they are going to clean a barn and throw the manure out back. There was an old man named Uncle David. Uncle David says to Eldon that we're all fertilizer in the end. He also says that when he dies he want to be thrown on the manure pile, but he might be kidding. They lived in farm on the edge of a forest that reaches from their door in Minnesota. The farm has eighty-seven acres. During this season they are spending one whole day of working out. How they planted alfalfa, and corn and the cow ate it so that the cow gave them a milk to be sold out. When the summer starts slowly his father is taking the plowshares to town. During summer his father are plowing on the fields and Eldon brings a lunch for his father. This season calls the season of hard work. As fall season appear , his family stop slowly on doing something because it is a time to killed an animal in preparation for winter season which Eldon disinclination. According to Uncle David the spring is close to summer , summer close to fall, but winter stands alone. The winter season is all changes , snow comes and makes it all different outside so things see in the other times. Eldon and Wayne loves winter because his family gathers around the living room that also calls winter room. They all listen to Uncle David stories about his wife Alida which Uncle David loved the most. After Alida die Uncle David never remarried and never looked another woman. After Uncle David tell that story , Eldon's mother cried. Uncle David continue telling a story about his past. Another story that Wayne doesn't believe, which Uncle David hurts. Uncle David decided to stop the story telling. Eldon was mad at Wayne of what he'd done. One day Wayne was looking at something through the the crack and as Eldon follow on what Wayne looked out and saw Uncle David. The old man was standing at the pile of wood. Eldon saw how Uncle David carry all those pain that Wayne gave. They follow Uncle David and saw the transformation of Uncle David from old man turn into young ones and back again to old man. They watched him through the crack at all time. They watched the old man walk until he was gone inside the house. The two of them are crying and can't imagine that the old man can do that.

Questions :

1. How did you experience the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take a while to "get into it"? How did you feel reading it? 

     Answer : Honestly, it take a time to get into the story. I feel upset on what Wayne did, hurting the old man's feeling is like hurting your mother's feeling. Wayne doesn't showed any respect to the old man. And I was surprised on the part that Uncle David have a power.

2. Describe the main characters -- personality traits, motivations, inner qualities.
     Answer : Eldon is a kind person . Eldon is curious and always wondering what his brother was doing. Eldon is just around 11 years old. Wayne is two older than Eldon. Wayne has a attitude of disrespectful towards the old man. He hurts Uncle David's feeling but then he change. Uncle David is the old man who endure all pain that came into his life. Uncle David is so strong even though he is already old.

3. Do the main Characters change by the end of the story? Support your answer.
      Answer : Yes, they change in their attitude. From disrespectful, high pride turns into good one. Wayne is the example of it and he change his action towards the old man. After the day that they saw Uncle David who have a power and he realized that Uncle David is not a liar.

4. Is the plot engaging --- does the story interest you? Support your answer.
      Answer : Yes, the most interesting part is when Uncle David tell a story about his past. Then one might Uncle David tells a story about "The Woodcutter" and what happens next is terrible.

5. What main idea -- theme -- does the author explore?

      Answer :The main idea does the author explore is about Life Changes. Every season has a corresponding work to do; every season is experiencing different problems to be solved.

6. What passages strike you as insightful, even profound? Support your answer.
     Answer : By reading book is the passage or way that strikes my insightful. Dr. Jose Rizal use a pen to fight against the Spaniard. According to my Filipino teacher in my tenth grade that "Pen is more powerful than sword". He wrote Noli Me Tangere and El Filibustering to educate people. For me reading will educate the insightful of individuals and apply it on the real life.

7. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not -- and how would you change it?
     Answer : No the ending is not satisfying, I would end the story like this "Wayne says sorry to Uncle David for what he'd done. Saying sorry for not believing on the story of Uncle David tells. And then Uncle David accepted it, and goes back to normal life.

8. If you could ask author a question, what would you ask? Have you read other story by the same author? If so how does this book compare. If not, does this book inspire you to read others?
     Answer : So far, this is the first book that I've ever read. Yes, this book inspire me to read others because books will entertain me as individual and gave a good lesson to everyone.

9. Has this story changed you -- broadened your perspective? Have you learned something new been exposed to different ideas about people or a certain part of the world.
     Answer : Yes, I learned something that not all we think is correct , not all our doubts is correct. And I also learned about the life if you are in Minnesota.