Winter's Bone Essay Questions

Why is it significant that Ree's coat once belonged to her grandmother?

Throughout the novel, Woodrell emphasizes that Ree wears "Mamaw's coat"—a garment that serves as a symbol for the responsibility Ree has to assume over her family. With her father missing and her mother incapacitated by mental illness, the sixteen-year-old Ree is forced to become the responsible adult within her family. Whenever she heads out in the cold to chop firewood to keep the house warm, or chase down leads on her father, Ree bundles up in her grandmother's moth-eaten wool coat knowing her housebound mother won't need it. Just as the Biblical Elijah's "mantle" (i.e. cloak) passes to his son to symbolize the transfer of responsibility, Ree assumes the mantle of female family authority with her grandmother's coat as she simultaneously ensures her home, brothers, and mother are cared for.

What role does composure play in Winter's Bone?

Composure—that quality of remaining calm and in control of oneself, particularly in trying circumstances—plays a significant role in Winter's Bone as one of the book's dominant themes. Woodrell explores the theme primarily through Ree's unflinching responses to the difficult situations she becomes mired in. Woodrell makes Ree's personal investment in composure evident in the first chapter when she twists her brother's ear until he quits fighting and stands still, appearing indifferent to the pain. Harold's display of physical and emotional toughness speaks to the way that the need to stay calm through adversity is instilled in the Dollys from a young age. Ree herself doesn't back down when seeking information about Jessup's disappearance from people who openly threaten her for investigating something they believe she should stay out of. Ree continues to prove her toughness when Merab and her sisters come to her house not long after ambushing her and knocking her unconscious. Ree maintains a steely attitude when traveling with the violent women to the site of her father's corpse. Even when tasked with cutting off his hands with a chainsaw, Ree works through her disgust and dread to get what she needs to save her family home, proving once again her almost supernatural capacity for persevering through whatever life throws at her.

What is the significance of Ree's ambient-sound recordings?

The ambient-sound recordings Ree listens to at moments throughout Winter's Bone are significant because they reveal her need for escape, which is one of the novel's major themes. Although the sixteen-year-old Ree competently assumes the responsibility of parenting her brothers and caring for her mentally ill mother, she isn't immune to the stress that comes with her seemingly hopeless situation. Ree takes breaks from her daily existence by sitting alone in the forest and listening to tranquil recordings, such as waves lapping against shores. The sounds are so powerful that Ree imagines she is far from her highland home, relaxing in a tropical beach environment. This meditative escape calms Ree's nervous system long enough that she can physically and mentally recalibrate before returning to her real life of hard work, familial duty, and threats from almost everyone she asks to help her.

Why does Ree want her brothers to be unlike other Dolly men?

Early in Winter's Bone, the narrator portrays Ree's younger brothers as spirited and well-behaved kids. However, the narrator comments on how almost all men in the Dolly family end up jaded by life by the time they hit puberty, having been inducted into the world of crime "before they have hair on their chins." Ree's father, Jessup, is a methamphetamine producer who lives outside "square law" and abides by the remorseless "blood-soaked commandments" of a region led by crime boss Thump Milton. This life of criminality brings nothing but grief to the Dolly family, who have to contend with Jessup serving occasional prison sentences and living with the specter of police crackdowns hanging over their heads. This lifestyle eventually catches up with Jessup, and he agrees to become a police informer to avoid a ten-year prison sentence. However, this fact is soon leaked, and Sleepy John murders Jessup on Thump Milton's orders. Rather than see her little brothers head down the same path, Ree wants her brothers to escape the criminal life, even though it may appear to them to be their only option.

What is the significance of Teardrop's missing ear?

Ree's uncle Teardrop's melted-off ear is significant because it serves as a symbol of his career-criminal status. When introducing Ree's fearsome uncle, Woodrell describes the large burn that runs down the left side of Teardrop's head where his ear should be. Scar tissue is all that is left after an explosion occurred in a meth lab while he was cooking crank. The injury signals to anyone he meets that he is involved in the illicit methamphetamine trade, meaning he has little hope of being treated by society as anything other than a criminal. In this way, Teardrop's melted ear is more than a traumatic reminder of the meth lab explosion; it amounts to a physical branding that confirms his inescapable status as a member of the Ozarks' criminal underclass.