Good Morning, Midnight

Iris and Augie spend two weeks enjoying the bounty of Lake Hazen and the weather station. Augie avoids the radio shed, unwilling as yet to hear things he doesn’t want to learn about the outside world. The food stores are so large and varied that the pair can create fresh meals, and Augie rediscovers the pleasure of baking, something he did as a child whenever his mother left baking projects unfinished.

For the first time, Augie experiences the lengthening days and flowering hills of the Arctic during spring. Previously, he flew to southern retreats during the summer, when the long Arctic days left him with no night sky to observe. Now, Augie enjoys leisure time as he watches Iris run around the shore. His joy reminds him of the closest he ever came to happiness previously, during his time with Jean. His current contentment is tinged with regret as he remembers Jean’s words to him: “You’re so broken, she’d said. I wish you weren’t so broken” (183).

With more sunlight and warmer temperatures, Augie also enjoys less painful joints and increased energy. For the first time, he observes the midnight sun—the long Arctic summer days when the sun never sets.