Theme and message

Loss and grief

The short story “Sleeping” by Katharine Weber deals with the theme of loss and grief, which is illustrated by Mr. and Mrs. Winter. The narrative does not mention explicitly that the spouses have lost a baby, but this is implied in the end, during the brief exchange between Mr. Winter and Harriet: 

He hesitated, then he said, You understand, don’t you? and Harriet answered Yes without looking at him or being sure what they were talking about although she did really know what he was telling her and then she got out of his car and watched him drive away. (ll. 31-33) 

This example suggests that the Winters have found a coping mechanism to deal with their loss and grief. They are dealing with their loss by pretending that they still have a baby who needs babysitt...