Stuart Dybek's Chopin in Winter

“Chopin in Winter” is a short story by Stuart Dybek, published in his book “The Coast of Chicago”. The story is set in Chicago during World War II and follows the life of a young boy named Michael. Michael lives in a seedy apartment building with his mother and his wandering uncle, Dzia-Dzia. The story revolves around Michael’s fascination with Marcy Kubiac, a young pianist who has returned to her mother’s apartment, pregnant, from New York City. Every night, Marcy plays Chopin on her piano upstairs, and every night, while Michael practices his penmanship on the kitchen table, Dzia-Dzia follows the music that vibrates the ceiling and walls, pretending to play it himself on the table as he schools Michael in Chopin’s Preludes and Nocturnes. Chopin’s pieces become a metaphor for longing and for deriving value from a problematic human world.

Michael's handwriting and awareness of word meanings improve as he sees the connection between his uncle Dzia-Dzia and the music, as well as the interaction between the building and the music. Chopin's works become a metaphor for longing and finding worth in a complex community.

Marcy and Dzia-Dzia have gone back to their families to gather the power they need to start life again—Dzia-Dzia dying like Michael's father and Marcy having a family of her own. She finally establishes this family by giving birth on Chicago's South Side, while her mother tracks her to New York.

The warmth emanating from Michael’s home and the steam rising from his uncle’s feet suggest a life full of passion, sometimes overwhelming and concealing. Similarly, the image of snow evokes the silence and failure that are inherent in life. Michael reflects on the power of silence and music to change whoever listens. The loss that silence signifies and the longing that music creates define what one learns about living, whether one stays in one place or moves to another.