At the Back of the North Wind

At the Back of the North Wind begins with an unnamed, first-person narrator who introduces the idea of the “back of the north wind”: a place so comfortable that, according to Herodotus, the people who lived there could not bear to continue living and drowned themselves. He then introduces a boy named Diamond, named after his coachman father’s favorite horse. Diamond’s family lives in a room above their employer’s coach house on the outskirts of London, but Diamond’s room is in the loft above, where his namesake also sleeps.

Diamond often plays a game in which he tries to get as cold as possible before jumping into bed. While doing so one night, he notices a small hole in his wall. He tries to cover it with a small bundle of hay three times, but each time the cork gets blown out. His mother glues a piece of paper over the hole while Diamond is playing the next morning. That night, Diamond hears a voice that scolds him for “closing up my window” (2). The voice commands Diamond to open the “window,” revealing that it is

Unlock all 49 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App

+ Printable PDF

+ Literary AI Tools

Unlock Full Library