Chapter 6, Time of Thawing Summary and Analysis

One morning, Helen wakes feeling hot and sweaty. The wind has changed, bringing the night temperature up from zero to forty-five degrees. The time of thawing has begun. Helen talks of growing a garden, but Ade reminds her that there's still plenty of winter left. Ade suddenly realizes that the warmer temperatures mean that their winter-frozen meat will spoil. Ade thinks to move the meat next door, where cold air remains trapped.

The temperature drops once more. Worried that the new, harder snow will cause the roof to collapse on the summer house, Ade climbs up and removes the packed snow one block at a time. With that finished, Ade discovers that water is leaking into the cabin. He climbs up to the roof of the log cabin and chisels away the ice behind which...