The Sea in Winter

“When Mom was fourteen years old, the Makah Nation hunted a gray whale. It was their first whaling voyage in seventy years. They agreed to stop hunting them when whales were listed as an endangered species. They waited until the Pacific populations were stable before legally asking for permission to resume this ancient tradition. They received permission. But it was a controversial situation.”

Throughout the novel, Day offers insights into different Indigenous cultures’ past history, focusing particularly on the culture of the Makah tribe. The quotation alludes to the historical gray whale hunt that the Makah people initiated in the late 1990s. The Makah had refrained from the traditional practice of whaling due to the whale’s endangered status, and the novel characterizes this brief revival of whaling as a significant moment for the Makah Nation: one that helped the Makah people reconnect with their cultural identity and communal bonds. However, when the tribe faced threats and violence, the practice was banned again. The story furthers the novel’s thematic focus on Navigating the Complexities of Indigenous Identity Amid Social Injustice.

“And does Mom actually want to know any of this? Does she really want to hear about her daughter’s deeply underwhelming and unhappy existence in school? Does any of it matter? I doubt that, too.”

This passage emphasizes the impact of Maisie’s injury, which extends beyond physical damage to affect her emotions and outlook. As Maisie experiences alienation and intense mental distress, she disconnects from her social environment. Day highlights Maisie’s vulnerability and depression as the girl feels ignored by adults who cannot fully understand her pain. The novel therefore emphasizes the necessity of Overcoming Trauma and Loss, and this issue becomes more urgent as Maisie develops feelings of worthlessness and loses her hope.

“However, I want you to be gentle with yourself. Trauma takes time to heal.”

In this scene, Maisie’s physical therapist suggests that her physical recovery will take time, but Day uses his comment to convey the idea that Maisie also needs to pursue a deeper form of spiritual healing in order to recover fully. Maisie is impatient to return to dancing and often attempts to ignore her pain, and it is clear that she must confront her inner trauma so that she can reconnect with herself.

“My parents had a love story similar to Romeo and Juliet’s: short, tragic, star-crossed. But Mom and Jack? They’re more like Cinderella and Prince Charming: proof that even after losses and heartbreak, happily-ever-after can be possible.”

While Maisie’s mental distress limits her understanding of her own family’s history, her parents’ stories clearly reflect a complex mix of loss, trauma, resilience, and healing. The passage also marks one of several moments of reflection in which Maisie ponders her family history and her complex Indigenous identity. Even though she is troubled by her individual experiences, her parents’ story of tragedy and survival remains in her memory and becomes an inspiration that aids her own eventual recovery.

“I’m not proud of what my life looked like back then. I was young and dumb, convinced I was invincible when I wasn’t. See-yah helped to straighten me out. He taught me what it really means to be one of the Strong People.”

In this scene, Jack’s story illustrates the issue of intergenerational trauma among Indigenous people even as his outlook on these experiences focuses on the beneficial healing effects that can occur when Indigenous traditions are embraced and passed on. Jack’s experience indicates that Indigenous youths often battle with mental health crises and issues of identity loss. Jack emphasizes that he found spiritual inspiration in his grandfather’s traditional teachings. Now, as Maisie’s stepfather, Jack passes on these same values, which become central to Maisie’s healing journey.

“I can’t help but frown. I wonder if Mom and Jack really do feel that way. If the Olympic Peninsula truly is heart medicine for them, considering what happened in their childhoods.”

This quotation indicates Maisie’s disconnection from her Indigenous identity. As a young girl growing up in a big city, Maisie is largely separated from her tribe and community. In this context, the metaphor inherent in the phrase “heart medicine” also indicates the spiritual power of Maisie’s homeland. Even though her mental distress limits her understanding of her parents’ outlook on their heritage, the road trip to Neah Bay foreshadows the fact that she will find healing by embracing these aspects of her family history. Day also emphasizes that despite the trauma of colonialism and cultural erasure, the family’s visit to their ancestral lands helps them reclaim their Indigenous identity.

“The four of us find a creaky booth and settle in to gaze out the window. The glass is sea splattered. The waves are storm colored, vast and gray and edged in whitecaps. The ferry rocks and sways in a gentle motion. I can hear the thrash and gasp of the Puget Sound, overlapping with the hum of the other passengers, the relentless power of the rain. Of the sea in winter.”

This passage features the novel’s titular phrase, “the sea in winter,” and emphasizes Maisie’s growing connection to nature. As Maisie leaves the city for the family road trip, she starts focusing on the natural landscape. This inner shift in Maisie’s consciousness shows that she has begun to take the first halting steps toward a healthier mindset as she connects with her environment and surroundings.

“I sit in the armchair by the windows, refreshing my messages, but there’s nothing new to see from Eva. There’s nothing new from anybody. And as my family continues to focus on their own things, smoothly forgetting about the awkwardness over the elevator, I feel more and more like a lonely storm cloud. Like a dark and dreaded presence, hovering at the edge of their happy vacation.”

The metaphor of the “storm cloud” creates an ominous mood and illustrates the growing emotional storm inside of Maisie. While her descriptions emphasize the silence and disconnect between her and her family in this moment, her frustrated thoughts indicate that the longer she refuses to articulate her feelings, the worse her inner struggles will become.

“I cross my arms over my chest. Refuse to meet his gaze. I’m embarrassed and miserable and I wish I didn’t disappoint them so much. I wish I could erase my words from existence. I wish I could go back in time and redo the stupid math test. Redo this whole conversation. Redo everything.”

Maisie is tormented by feelings of guilt and self-blame that illustrate her growing emotional distress. Her repeated wish to “go back” and “redo” all her recent mistakes emphasizes the morose and hopeless nature of her mindset, as rather than trying to move forward, she remains mired in the belief that everything about her is wrong and that there is no way to fix this.

“It’s important to express thanks to those that help us survive. And our clams have always done that. They’ve always fed and nurtured our people.”

During the trip to Neah Bay, Jack offers Maisie lessons about his own Indigenous culture and traditions, explaining the importance of “expressing thanks” to nature and acknowledging the interconnectedness of all things.

“Sometimes, the evening news feels like the worst kind of entertainment. Like we’re all just here to witness each other’s tragedies. Or to make fun of other people’s choices. To make us all feel crushed and frustrated. To remind us that we live in an uncaring world. It’s too much.”

This passage reflects two conflicting viewpoints on the world, for although Maisie’s childish sensibilities make her feel alienated by the adults in her life, Jack and her mother see the importance of keeping abreast of larger issues despite the inherent negativity of the news. In portraying Maisie’s parents as involved in sociopolitical matters, Day emphasizes that political consciousness is also part of the Indigenous experience.

“And I look away, because I know the rest of this story. I know that she and my dad were married young. I know Mom got pregnant before his deployment. I know that he was killed in action before my first birthday, and Mom never went back to school, because she had to find another job, and suddenly she was juggling two part-time positions as well as first-time motherhood, and even though she had her mother to help with the babysitting, it was never really enough.”

This quotation provides a more vivid picture of the various challenges that have beset Maisie’s family in the past. Maisie’s own discomfiture reflects her internalized guilt over the situation; apart from the distress from her individual experiences, she is also impacted by her father’s death and her mother’s struggles to survive as a single mother. Yet, despite Maisie’s gloomy tone in this passage, the novel as a whole suggests that both loss and resilience are inherent in her Indigenous identity. As Maisie learns more about her family, she draws inspiration from her parents’ experiences.

“My feet touch the ground, and I lift my face to the sky, to all those bending branches and drifting clouds. And I’m daydreaming again about returning to the studio. About standing in my sanctuary. That bright, open space. The wide windows. The mirror-lined walls.”

Maisie compares her emotional experience in nature to the comfort that she used to feel in the dance studio. This passage depicts Maisie’s physical and mental connection with the natural world as she finds new possibilities for healing and renewal during her hike at Neah Bay with her family. The author uses this scene to emphasize that nature is just as integral to her identity as her love of ballet.

“And the pain. How can it be so intense? How is this even possible? One second, barely nudged at the wrong angle, and it’s like all my months of physical therapy and recovery and carefulness have been erased. The pain is searing.”

The rhetorical questions in this scene convey the despair and frustration that dominate Maisie’s internal monologue. Upon sustaining a second leg injury during the hike, Maisie is finally forced to confront the realities underlying her trauma. While Maisie ostensibly refers to her physical pain in this passage, the text also suggests that she can no longer ignore the impact of her injuries on her mental health.

“I clenched my teeth as they strapped a fitted neoprene brace to my knee, despite how much the pain medication had helped to take away my discomfort. It was just the sight of the brace. The reality of it. The fact that this was my life, all over again.”

Maisie’s second injury builds tension in the novel as she is forced to grapple with this significant setback in her healing journey. Faced with the fear of never being able to return to the dance floor, Maisie falls into despair, convinced that her ballet ambitions have ended. The experience of visiting the hospital yet again exacerbates her distress, and she feels that her life is unfair. However, her family’s support promises her a positive resolution.

“I turned to the teachings of my ancestors, for one thing. I looked back at our histories of resilience and survival. How the Makahs managed to bring their community together, despite horrible events, like that mudslide I told you about.”

In this passage, Maisie’s mother highlights the significance of traditional Indigenous values, and these words aid the girl’s emotional outlook and overall recovery. Seeing her daughter’s despair, Angie conveys her own life lessons as a way to guide Maisie. By connecting Maisie’s current difficulties with her people’s resilience in the face of misfortune, Angie invites her daughter to draw on the stories and traditions of her heritage as a source of spiritual strength to deal with her life’s struggles.

“I know how hard it is to feel far away from your friends. But luckily for your generation, distance doesn’t equal the end of friendships. At least, not like it used to. These days you all have phones. You can call or text each other anytime. And when you’re old enough, you’ll probably find each other on social media. And there are so many other ways to stay connected; it doesn’t have to be digital. But that’s one way in which technologies have helped us, isn’t it?”

The symbol of mobile phones takes on a more positive connotation in this scene, for although they are an aspect of Western culture and society—something that contrasts with Indigenous ways of life—Maisie’s mother praises the benefits of this more effective form of communication when it is used with purpose and balance.

“In the first full year at my new school in Tacoma, I sat alone at lunch. I felt far away from my friends, my extended family, from everyone and everything that I loved. And it felt like the end of the world, but it wasn’t. I grew up and grew stronger from the experience, and I learned to fight for what I believe in. Learned to stand tall. Learned to love my people harder. And then I lost your father, and it felt like the end of the world all over again. But it wasn’t. It was tragic and horrific, and I still carry so much love and sadness for him, but it’s a weight I’ve learned to bear. And luckily for all of us, I was able to move forward. I took a chance and was open to falling in love again.”

The quotation illuminates the true strength of Angie’s character and her ability to focus on overcoming trauma and loss. Maisie’s mother is also wise enough to use her own experiences of loss as lessons to empower her daughter. She conveys that resilience is inherent in Indigenous people’s lives, as it guarantees their survival against tragedy. Instead of falling into despair, Angie has always worked to transform her grief into positivity by taking action on behalf of herself and others. She therefore stands as a positive example for Maisie.

“‘I’m sorry. For the other night. For saying you weren’t really my dad. It wasn’t the right thing to say, and it isn’t how I truly feel.’

His eyes soften around the corners. ‘Maisie—’

‘You’ve always been there for me. And I just wanted to thank you. For today. For everything.’”

The scene illustrates the extent of Maisie’s inner growth, as well as her new sense of maturity. For most of the trip, she struggles to express herself and apologize to Jack for her outburst. Now, however, she realizes that her distress was distorting her feelings and her behavior. Her apology to Jack emphasizes her reconnection with her family and her willingness to engage in a more positive outlook that fuels her progress in healing, both physically and emotionally.

“Going to therapy made me realize my thoughts were like scribbles—like a messy black cloud of lines drawn all over a clean sheet of paper. Working with Dr. Estrada helps me detangle all those lines. It helps me make sense of the chaos in my own heart, my own mind.”

The quotation emphasizes the importance of overcoming trauma and loss by engaging with available support systems and resisting the urge to withdraw from the world. Through Maisie’s words in this scene, Day suggests that undergoing therapy is a key part of dealing with loss and trauma. The simile that compares Maisie’s thoughts to “scribbles” also alludes to her new passion for storytelling, as she consciously employs visual imagery to convey the complexity of her former emotional distress. As therapy helps Maisie manage her frustration, writing becomes a creative outlet and a novel means of expression for her.

“I’ve been talking with my dad’s side of the family a lot lately. Dr. Estrada thought this was a great idea. She’s always telling me to acknowledge my support systems; to reach out to them, and express gratitude to them.”

Maisie’s journey indicates that the complexities of Indigenous identity are shaped by diverse factors. Throughout the novel, Day emphasizes the significance of family in facilitating Maisie’s recovery. With the new insights that she has gained from therapy, Maisie now understands that her family and community are a crucial source of support, and she no longer seeks to isolate herself. Her reconnection with her father’s family also signifies a more complete realization of her identity and heritage.

“I take my time committing this word to paper. I shape each letter with care; I try to space it out all evenly. I draw a slow, wavy line beneath it as I try to figure out how to start this final entry. And I write: I don’t really know what my future holds. I swallow. Add another line: But that doesn’t scare me as much as it used to.”

At the end of the story, Maisie responds to her teacher’s writing prompt with a new sense of awareness, and she equates the act of writing with the broader attempt at Embracing New Visions of the Future. Through writing, she finds an effective way to express herself and reimagine her future prospects. Even though she is still uncertain about her life, Maisie learns to face life with hope instead of despair.

“I keep looking at my family. And I think of the stories they’ve told me. Stories of resistance and triumph and joy from our little corner of the world. Stories of loss and tragedy, and how people overcome losses and tragedies.”

The quotation emphasizes the widespread significance of Indigenous histories and experiences. Having overcome many personal challenges, Maisie now draws inspiration from her family’s stories and from the stories of the various Indigenous communities of which she is a part. As Maisie counters the impact of loss and reconnects with her identity, the author uses the story to indicate that both trauma and resilience are deeply woven into the protagonist’s Indigenous heritage.