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'Winter's Bone' by Daniel Woodrell- Themes and Motifs…
'Winter's Bone'
by Daniel Woodrell- Themes and Motifs
SURVIVAL
"Never. Never ask for
what ought to be offered
" -Ree, page 5
A
hand to mouth existence
is present within this community
We how survival is already difficult within this community, but is made
even more
difficult should you decided to go against 'cooking crank'.
Vigilante Ideas
This community disregards the laws set out by the US government, but instead has its own sense of law and order.
Ree's father, Jessup, broke these community vigilante-type laws by being a snitch, and therefore was killed for his actions.
In this community, it is more dangerous to break their rules than if you were to break the official laws.
'Country Noir'
A bleak existence, arguably an oppressive environment due to the realities of needing to survive.
We see how this community will most likely be unfamiliar to Woodrell's reader, he makes this Ozark community become very realistic, we see how he does this through lengthy descriptions of practices specific to this community, e.g. hunting and skinning squirrels.
SOCIAL BANDITRY
This society is solely revolved around
criminal activity
, mainly 'cooking crank'.
A
Capitalist
society?
A '
conditiona
l' sense of society, presented by Woodrell as being very close until Ree needs answers about Jessup.
We see how Ree only stays within this close community due to her commitment to her
family
.
The idea of joining the
army
provides the idea of escapism to Ree's character. It allows her to provide for her family, without having to live within this criminal community with the idea of social banditry at its core.
A society in which the problems caused by men must be 'solved' by men- thereby making Ree's actions
controversial
.
Would her journey to find answers been easier had she been a
man
?
VIOLENCE
How does violence
relate
to each of the other key themes?
Violence relates to gender as it is an aspect
restricted to men
in this novel
Ree's assault evoked a sense of
wrongness
throughout the community because she was a girl, this reaction would not have happened had the assault happened to a man
Due to the need for survival, this society has its own vigilante justice system- therefore you may argue that this community would not be as violent if the
need for survival
was not as prominent.
GENDER
More of a
social outcry
at Ree's assault in comparison to if it had been a man within this community. Escalates to the point where the women who beat her up end up helping her to recover.
Ree's character- masculinity vs femininity
Femininity
- cares and looks after her mother and two brothers. She fulfils the role of the mother figure.
"I got two little brothers who can't feed theirselves... My mom is sick, and she is always... goin' be sick..." -Ree, page 134
Masculinity
- hunts and fights, teaches her brothers to do the same. She fulfils the role of the father figure.
Ree envies Gail's title of '
mother
', it is given more weight in this community when compared with 'sister carer'.
Is Ree a
female protagonist
?
She is without doubt a character of agency. However, is her rebellion against gender roles a protest against the sexist community, or is it done out of necessity and survival.
We see how in Teardrop, Ree attains a male advocate. He takes responsibility for her, thereby making her more important. This shows how Woodrell suggests that she would not acquire this importance on her own due to the gender stereotypes present in this society.
