Another image that I keep going back to is the morning Una awakes to a snow covered boat. Vivid also are the descriptions of winter in her mother's Kentucky cabin which is enough to make me want to slip under my own down comforter. What I like best is the feel she gives of the first half of the 19th century. This is a time when letter writing is the main form of long-distance communication with slow and unreliable mail delivery. Travel is accomplished by horse and buggy, paddleships, sailboats and walking.
Families entertain themselves by singing, reading and dancing.
And naturally, whale oil is used for lighting. At one point, Ahab cautiously points out that happiness never lasts. Una sincerely replies that neither does unhappiness. And I think this is the core of this self assured, independent and highly spirited woman. The Stargazer as one of the main books to read this winter.