Winter's Bone

Ree Dolly’s fatalistic perspective on life shapes many of her decisions and fears. She finds the Dolly name and way of life constrictive, in that it only allows for the possibility of certain futures, and these futures all appear to be mind-dulling and pain-filled. For example, it becomes clear that while Ree fears she will one day develop her mother’s insanity, she also fears the fates that await her family and community. She believes her brothers will grow into Dolly men, hardened by their lives and forever shaped by need. Similarly, she fears for Gail, whose future became fixed after an unexpected pregnancy. As such, Ree often finds herself looking into a “looming expected kind of future” (93) where one might find themselves “glued” (32). Though she constantly fights fate, even arguing for Harold’s name in an attempt to provide him with a different future, Ree continuously searches for parallels between her life and those of her ancestors. She never appears to truly expect change.

The novel begins with the image of deer carcasses hanging in the trees, and this scene initiates the theme within the novel. In part, the concept of remains becomes associated with nourishment as a food source. The first carcasses Ree notes are those of deer, and later she uses them to provide her malnourished family with a whole meal. Similarly, Ree, Sonny, and Harold work to clean the carcasses of squirrels they killed so that they can eat the meat. These carcasses shape and support their way of life, and though Ree knows that cleaning the remains is an ugly part of life, it is necessary. This, ultimately, is part of the lesson she imparts to Harold. Later, when she sees her brothers playing in and with the squirrel entrails, she finds that they have become a source of emotional sustenance, too.

Woodrell juxtaposes the concept of animal carcasses with the remains of the dead, particularly those of Ree’s father, Jessup. Ree spends much of novel searching for Jessup’s body as a sign of proof, rather than a source of heartache or mourning. This, of course, reflects the dehumanization that results from the Dollys’ commandments. Although Ree finds herself sickened by her father’s corpse, his severed hands serve to sustain his family after his passing. Throughout the novel, the human body is seen as a site of control, of oneself and others—through rape, beatings, and the use of drugs and alcohol—and Jessup’s remains become a similar site of control. Ree’s ability to prove her father’s death provides her with some control over her future, just as the Hawkfall Dollys guarded the secret of his remains in an attempt to retain control over theirs. 

The concept of escapism is a prevalent theme amongst Ree’s family. While Ree finds herself escaping to faraway lands by listening to New Age music, her mother and brothers often watch television to imagine alternative realities defined by possibility and different social structures. Escapism serves as a coping mechanism, to alleviate the respective weights of responsibility and hopelessness. They live in a relatively fatalistic reality where no one truly believes in an alternative, happier life, and so methods of escapism offer moments of respite. They create a surreal illusion that can be comforting, if only briefly.