Winter

As we have discussed in class and seen in many books, winter acts as a symbol for death, loneliness, and dreariness. In Jhumpa Lahiri’s 2003 novel The Namesake, Gogol finds himself alone in his and Moushumi’s freezing apartment during winter time while Moushumi parades off to Florida. In this instance, Gogol begins to see the pitfalls of their relationship. We discussed in class how this brief chapter symbolized his segregation from Moushumi, and foreshadowed their eventual demise. This theme of winter symbolizing despair can be seen in other novels such as Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, where the entire book is set during a dreary winter season with sledding being the eventual cause of death.  However, I find it odd how much negative symbolism we put into winter. I mean, in winter we have cheerful and uplifting holidays such as Christmas, New Years, and Valentine’s Day. Personally, winter is one of my favorite seasons. Although the icy, snow covered roads and lack of sunlight may not always be fun, I believe there is nothing better than watching snow fall while drinking hot chocolate. Watching the swirling flakes twist and twirl and chase each other through the frosty air does not symbolize death to me! Of course, in the natural world, winter is the in-between stage, the time for old things to die in order for new things to grow and flourish. However, I do not think that we should put so much negative pressure on winter. If we only focus on the negatives and do not try to look at the positives in life, a beautiful season may just turn into another dark, dreary symbol for death.