In the Ozark community portrayed by
Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone,
gender and tradition closely intertwine to create a pair of paradoxes. The
connection between masculinity and tradition gives family members power and
leverage within the community. However, male-centric traditions in the Dolly family can be a
death sentence. For women, power comes from the ability to exist outside family
traditions to some extent. On the other hand, straying too far from expected
feminine roles and behaviors gets policed violently.
For
Dolly men, the most obvious confinement comes from names. In becoming a Haslam,
Milton, Arthur or Jessup, men inherit the power and expectations that comes
with those names (62). This inheritance
further entraps them into a system of crime and violence that can lead to their
death. Ree explains that men with these names, “were born to walk only the
beaten Dolly path to the shadowed place, live and die in keeping with those
bloodline customs fiercest held” (62). For example, Uncle (Haslam) Teardrop,
explains how him avenging Jessup’s death is inevitable. He tells Ree, “even if
you find out, you can’t ever let me
know who did the actual killin’ of my brother. Knowin’ that’d just mean I’ll be
toes-up myself purty soon, too” (141). By following the traditions of the Dolly
family, Uncle (Haslam) Teardrop condemns himself and ultimately fulfills his
obligations to his name.
Dolly
women do not have the same naming system to chart their lives. In fact, women
like Ree and her mother oppose the name system, forcing Jessup to give Harold a
name that breaks tradition (62). Ree not only pushes at the boundaries of Dolly
family tradition, but also at the boundaries of gender roles. She teaches her
younger brothers not only how to cook, but how to shoot a gun, how to fight.
The first time Ree tries to see Thump Milton, her being a woman becomes one
excuse for his refusal to talk (60). The second time, after she gets attacked,
Uncle Teardrop tells her, “[y]ou took that beatin’ as good as most men I’ve
seen” (148). Stepping out of line gets Ree severely beaten, but ultimately gets
her proof of Jessup’s death. Although Dolly women can challenge traditions,
they are limited by the enforcement of gender roles by tradition and their male
relatives.
For
the Dolly family, gender and tradition seem inextricably wound. While the men
can derive power from inherited roles, they also face dismal ends. Dolly women
can create change by pushing the boundaries of tradition, but too much
transgression has severe consequences.
I agree with your statement that the Dolly family is male-centric and women are forced to exist outside of family traditions. Women hold a great deal of power in the novel that is overlooked by men and are the only gender that is actually productive. The exception of women in naming shows how women throughout the novel are exceptions to commonly perceived female roles. Women’s power is illustrated through their actions as they take on many male characteristics. For example, Ree demonstrates female capability and male toughness in being able to raise her brothers and take care of her mother. She teaches her brothers how to survive in the Ozarks while her father is off cooking drugs and getting in trouble with the law. Ree teaches her brothers traits that are usually required by males. However, Ree’s knowledge and bravery demonstrates that she is a better teacher than Jessup would be. Ree explains to Sonny, “‘you go you a whole bunch of stuff you’re goin’ to have to get over bein’ scared of, boy” (107). Ree shows male toughness by explaining to her brothers how to skin a squirrel. Her exception to the common perception of femininity is paralleled by the fact that her name is an exception in society.
ReplyDeleteUntil reading this post I hadn’t considered how Daniel Woodrell in Winter’s Bone makes a distinction between one’s gender and the confinement to continuing the family tradition. The theme of the difficulty in breaking from one’s tradition was also shown in Sport of Kings with the Forge family, which is introduced in the opening lines by John Henry, “Henry Forge, Henry Forge! How far away from your father can you run?” (3). Although this idea is present in both stories, C.E. Morgan in Sport of Kings doesn’t identify a distinction based on gender as Woodrell does. We see in the Forge family the continuation of their family tradition from father to daughter as Henry names his daughter Henrietta after himself. In this circumstance, for Morgan, gender doesn’t affect one’s ability to continue on and be entrapped by the expectations of family tradition. In contrast, we see Woodrell acknowledge the difference between the expectations of tradition on the men and women in Winter’s Bone in the descriptions of their community, “Most places still had two front doors in accordance with certain readings of Scripture, one for men, the other for women, though nobody much used them strictly that way anymore” (49). Although this example of having two separate doors for both men and women states that neither gender still follows that rule, its still important to note that Woodrell recognizes the separation within the tradition based on the gender of the person.
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