Winter's Bone

 

Katie D. Johnson

Professor Laura Cline

English 102

March 25, 2012

Winter’s Bone, a novel by Daniel Woodrell, examines how the hardships in life are often a catalyst for personal character development.  Set in the backwoods of the Ozark mountains, this story is filled with undesirable characters who partake in drugs, crime and domestic abuse on a daily basis.  The heroine of this novel is Ree Dolly, a young girl who must take a dangerous stand for the survival of her family.  She stands alone against a pitiless community ran by an abusive and chauvinistic patriarchy.  She receives countless warnings and threats of violence for her actions, and although it may lead to her death, she fearlessly persists for the sake of her family.  This selflessness and sense of moral responsibility is unseen in the other characters of this novel and proves to be her greatest strength.  Throughout her trials, Ree finds the courage to confront long-standing social norms of her community, and although she alone may not be able to change the community at large, she finds the strength to prevent it from changing her. 

The community of the Ozark Mountains is very isolated and has been made up of the same families for generations.  These families were previously known for their illegal production of moonshine during Prohibition and now make their money by producing methamphetamine.  Woodrell describes the setting of his novel as a neighborhood where the houses are surrounded by heaps of trash and rundown cars, but the children play happily in the yard.  Children in this community grow up with low expectations and no real hopes of being able to leave the Ozarks.  The girls are expected to marry and often become pregnant as teenagers.  The boys are expected to continue the family business of producing meth.  Overseeing and enforcing this social code is a patriarchy of men that will not tolerate any challenge to their way of life.

After Ree’s father is arrested for producing meth, she is saddled with the responsibility of caring for her two younger brothers and her mother, who has become mentally unfit to raise them herself.  She is forced to drop out of school and sacrifice her own dreams of happiness and fulfillment in order to compensate for her absent parents.  Within the first few pages of Woodrell’s novel, she demonstrates her new role as caretaker for her younger brothers, “Finish up eatin’. Bus’ll be along soon.” (6)  She teaches them life skills that they should be learning from their father and mother.  Ree teaches the boys to shoot, “she steadied their arms and guided their fingers” (79) and cook, implying that she will not always be there to do it for them, “… eyes peeled and watch every goddam thing I do. Learn how I make it, then you both’ll know.”(19).  Ree’s situation is further complicated when she finds out that her father has used their family home to post bail and has left town.  She has no other choice but to find him herself or forfeit their family home for his transgressions.

            The women in Ree’s family and community are not treated well and are expected to know their place.  A woman’s role is to cook and clean and do anything else she is told.  Women must obey.  The men of the Dolly clan consider their word to be the law; in fact, they even fancy themselves above the law. They take care of their own problems and under no circumstance say anything to the police. All the men in the clan are “outlaws who cook crank as their daddies brewed moonshine before them.” (NP Bowman). While Ree interacts with her rough and tumble uncle, Teardrop, you see a glimpse of this patriarchal oppression when he says to his fifth wife, “I said shut up once already, with my mouth.”(25).  Ree’s only hope of finding her father is to confront her family and neighbors for any clues of his whereabouts. In doing so, Ree goes beyond her rank in the social hierarchy and angers many of the characters.  She is called “girl” multiple times in a condescending way that implies she has no right to be demanding answers since she is not a man, nor even a woman.  Even the sheriff of the town shares this mentality as he explains to her that her father has disappeared, “Girl, I been lookin’.” (15)  No one is eager to help her and many send her away with threats if she is unwilling to heed their warning to go home and end her search.   

For Ree, her fear of violence is surpassed by her devotion to her family and she refuses to back down, “I can’t listen. I just can’t listen.” (132)  She knows she has exhausted all of her resources and cannot take “no” for an answer from the only people who might know something that could save her family from eviction and certain ruin. After being brutally beaten, she makes a heartfelt and realistic plea for help to the top patriarch of the clan, “I gotta prove dad’s dead…If Dad did wrong, dad has paid. But I can’t forever carry both… them boys’n Mom…not…without that house to help.”(134) Even though her actions are never glorified, her courage is noticed even by those who advised her to surrender her search, “You took that beatin’ good as most men I’ve seen.” (148)  “Folks have noticed the sand you got, girl.”(150)

Despite the hostile environment that Ree has grown up in, she has developed an extraordinary moral compass.  She advises her brothers, “Don’t fight if you can help it. But if one of you gets whipped by somebody both of you better come home bloody.” (48). This statement reveals a person who is well aware that at time conflict is unavoidable, but there are some issues worth fighting for.  For Ree, her devotion to the welfare of her family is one such issue that is worth facing any danger. “You got you a whole bunch of stuff you’re goin’ to have to get over bein’ scared of boy.” (107)  It is remarkable that she has developed into such a brave, well-balanced youth without a strong female role model to help guide her. 

Ree’s mother was once described as beautiful; the kind of woman men would go out of their way to flirt with. She used to dance and be happy, but it seems like things just slowly deteriorated.  She cheated on her husband and paid the price for it, “no-strings roll in the hay with a stranger lead to chipped teeth or cigarette burns on the wrist” (42).  Her father also had affairs, one of which Ree believes ultimately led to her mother’s catatonic state.  “Mom’s mind didn’t break loose and scatter to the high weeds until …she learned about dad’s girlfriend.”(30).  Ree undoubtedly learned two things from her mother: life is filled with double-standards and unfair situations and all wrong-doings come with a price.

            Another influential female role model is her friend Gail.  Ree and Gail have been friends since the third grade. They chased frogs together, fed hogs together, and experimented with one another. They were as close as two people can be. Until one drunken night, Gail had a one-night stand which led to an unintended pregnancy.  Due to this event, she “had been required by pregnancy to marry Floyd Langan.” (31)  Neither of them wanted the marriage, Floyd even had a long-time girlfriend, but they had no choice. He does not love Gail and has affairs of his own “I know when he says deer stand it means he’s gone to fuck Heather.”(82).  The relationship is strained and, as with most women, marriage meant the loss of Gail’s freedom. Floyd controls every aspect of her life.  When Ree comes to visit, he says, “she can come in” (33) and soon after she arrives he says, “Don’t hang around too long. She’s got that kid now.” (33). He shows no interest in his parental responsibility at all; however, when Gail stays out later than he approves, he takes his son and tells her she might as well not have come home at all.  Floyd manipulates and controls Gail, and Gail feels she has no choice but to obey as all of the other women do.  Ree explains to Gail how upsetting it is to see her taking orders and not doing things she would normally do, but Gail has resigned to this being her lot in life.  Ree asks if the reason she stays with Floyd is because she truly loves him despite the mistreatment.  To this Gail responds that she loves her son, and he will need his father.  For Ree, Gail exemplifies a woman who has resigned to misery because she never had the courage to challenge social expectations. 

            Winter’s Bone is actually a “coming of age” story for the character of Ree Dolly.  Ree’s character begins to develop as a young child observing her family and neighbors.  The women around her are expected to submit to the direction of their husbands and fathers. They are subjected to horrible treatment and lose their voice and personal power in the process of adhering the social expectations of the community.  Ree witnesses the hardships these women face and finds the courage to challenge the established authorities in order to survive.  Her daring determination is not a virtue learned by role models within her life, but a valiant attempt to maintain her personal independence in a world where she is destined to lose it.   

Works Cited

Bowman, David. “Hillbilly Noir.” New York Times: Sunday Book Review. 17 September 2006. Web. 20 March 2012.

Woodrell, Daniel. Winter’s Bone. New York. Little. Aug. 2006. Print.