Throughout Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone, readers bear witness to Ree Dolly’s suffering-filled search for her father. Ree faces obstacle after obstacle, from people who have not seen her dad recently to vicious sisters who attack Ree and leave her stunned, broken, and in pain. Ree, the hero of the novel, seemingly spends her every effort fighting not only to find her dad but also to ensure a future for her family. Ree’s unfailing resilience is a survival tactic and ultimately results in her family’s safety and security.
Examples of Ree’s resilience are spread throughout Winter’s Bone, but one of the most striking moments of resilience occurred after Ree began to believe that her father was dead. Ree helps her mom walk up a hill and tries to explain to her mom that Ree needs her help. When her mother does not respond, Ree waited until “any hope at all withered to none between her pressing hands” (Woodrell 118). Just a few moments after Ree loses hope, she stands and walks her mother back down the hill to their home. In this moment Ree loses hope that her mother can fulfill her motherly duties by helping Ree in one of their family’s darkest times. However, Ree does not cry or scream in frustration or demonstrate any animosity as one might expect, but instead helps her mother back to the house and continues providing for her family, teaching her brothers, and looking for her father, all in order for her family to survive.
One of the biggest challenges Ree must overcome in the novel is recovering physically and mentally after being attacked by Mrs. Thump and her sisters. Ree is so hurt that she resorts to taking pain pills and is bedridden for several days. However, even before Ree can walk or be awake without pain pills she tells her brothers “I think I’ll be okay” (Woodrell 148). Ree also makes plans for how she can move her family out of their house and into a cave so that they have a shelter to live under after their house is taken away, and later begins to clean out her house to make moving more manageable (Woodrell 147, 175). Even after Ree sustains remarkable injuries, she continues leading her family and is the only character who plans the next step for her family to take so that their homelessness is somewhat manageable. Ree is the provider for her family, and if she were not able to recuperate after facing obstacles as she does in the novel, Ree’s family would likely not have survived. Ree’s ability to evaluate and overcome adversity is why her family lives and has a home at the end of the novel.
Ree's resilience and determination are definitely the two main character traits that Woodrell attempts to emphasize throughout the novel. I believe the purpose of the surrounding people in the story were to serve as a "blockage" to Ree's path and character development in an effort to make her “heroic” abilities stand out. You did a good job of pointing out two of the many powerful examples where Ree shows relentless drive to become the backbone of her family in the wake of her father's disappearance. What I would also want to know is if there is anything constant about the scenarios where Ree displays resiliency. Does each of these events have something in common that can be tied back to the main theme of the novel? Are there certain mannerisms portrayed during these instances that are commonly associated with people from the Missouri Ozarks? While you are accurate in the examples you provide to back up the notion that Ree is an unwavering force throughout the novel, there is room for connection between this character trait and how it ties into the underlying message that Woodrell is attempting to convey. Another piece of information that would strengthen your argument is explaining how Gail reacts to the rise and fall of Ree’s character during the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Woodrell emphasizes Ree's ability to overcome adversity. Ree's ability to do this is indeed how her family survives. I believe the purpose of creating a character such as Ree is to show how extreme circumstances cause people to either thrive or fail. This is exemplified by the characters within the novel. Woodrell shows through Ree that the extreme adversity that she faces causes her to rise to the challenges that she faces. For example after being nearly beaten to death, in a span of time that is less than a month she is already back to the role of taking care of her family. Ree is able to do this because otherize there would be nobody to take care of her younger brothers. However, there are also characters who are pushed into destruction by their environments. Ree's mother, for example, is married to a drug dealer. Her mom succumbs to adversity within the environment that she lived in and became a drug addict. Ultimately, rendering her unable to meet the challenges of their society and support their family in the absence of her husband. Thus I think that Ree's ability to overcome difficult circumstances is definitely what helps to save their family. Her strength is a result of the environment that she grew up in. Yet on the flip side of that their town and lifestyle also seem to break many people within their town pushing them to drugs and crime.
ReplyDelete