The environment in “Winter’s Bone” shapes the theme of humanity. The way in which Ree interacts with the environment around her points to the hardships she faces; moreover, it points to the fact that humanity is not always pretty. The imperfection is a part of humanity, and Woodrell uses the interactions between Ree and her environment to further establish the theme of humanity.
The cold winter setting both hinders and helps Ree throughout the novel. The book reads, “The snow fell first in hard little bits, frosty white bits blown sideways to pelt Ree’s face as she raised the ax, swung down, raised it again, splitting wood while being stung by cold flung from the sky” (9). The harsh winter makes the work harder for Ree to accomplish. The weather also makes Ree’s circumstances more difficult because she does not have a car; therefore, she cannot travel long distances in the cold. The novel states, “The landscape of freeze framed her so pitifully that she had a lift within minutes” (48). Ree finds many lifts in the novel in order to escape the cold. The low temperatures also help to ease the pain Ree experiences from being beat up though. Gail forces Ree to immerse herself into the freezing water. Ree then comments, “‘I forgot where I hurt’” (160). In the end, Ree finds relief from her pain. Although the cold weather is physically hard for Ree to work and travel, the winter helps soothe her pain as well.
Ree’s interactions with nature also demonstrates her unwavering emotional strength. In the beginning of the novel, Ree cuts wood in the cold weather while she listens to “The Sounds of Tranquil Shores” (9). The sounds that Ree enjoys listening to are the opposite of her reality, which shows how Ree is discontent in her present situation. Even in her discontent, Ree demonstrates her emotional strength by putting aside her own feelings to care for her brothers and mother. Many events, which take place in nature, point to Ree’s emotional strength. Her tough exterior reflects the strength inside of her when she teaches her brothers to shoot and skin squirrels. Ree says, “‘Now, these are harder’n rabbits but still not too hard, really. Think like your cuttin’ the squirrel a suit, only your cuttin’ the suit off of ‘em, not for ‘em to put on’” (106). Ree makes sure to teach the important skills even when the boys resist. The nature surrounding Ree shows the emotional strength Ree has to be the caretaker of her family.
Ree’s physical and emotional journey in the novel points to the larger theme of humanity. Humanity incorporates both the good and bad parts of life, and Woodrell emphasizes the different sides of humanity through the effects the environment has on Ree’s physical and emotional state. The cold weather physically challenges Ree in her work and travelling, while also providing relief for Ree after being beat up. The nature around Ree also points to her emotional journey of wanting to escape her reality and having the emotional strength to put those desires aside to care for her family. Woodrell uses the emotional and physical journey of Ree to establish the fact that humanity is imperfect and a collection of both good and bad experiences.
I like the way this post details the impact of the natural world on the thematic development of “Winter’s Bone.” In the interviews that were played in class, Daniel Woodrell expounded on how he approached character development. He wanted to humanize the characters and instill empathy in the reader for characters with whom they would not typically relate.
ReplyDeleteIt is also compelling how Woodrell juxtaposes the humanity of each character with the abject harshness of the surrounding environment. To illustrate this, Ree “became ice as she walked” (64) and “the cold went through her like wind” (159). The contrast between Ree’s fiery determination and the frigid weather humanizes her, as it indicates her perseverance through a difficult situation.
Moreover, the weather inhibits the characters as they progress through the novel. Uncle Teardrop, for instance, remarks how “this ain’t the right night. Snow” (171). Again, the weather impedes Teardrop’s progress and it shows how even the formidable Teardrop is not immune to conflicts with the natural world. Furthermore, as Ree discovers her dead father in the river, Merab acknowledges the difficulty of reaching his hands by saying: “You’ll need the ax to open the ice” (184). Even in the most bleak of scenarios, the weather complicates the retrieval even more. Furthermore, it illustrates Ree’s humanity as she stares death in the face through the ice and snow.
I think it is interesting how you integrated the weather into the theme of humanity in the novel. As seen in the beginning of the book, as you had mentioned, the harsh and cold conditions make for a harder living circumstance for Ree. Additionally, the cold is seen as helpful to Ree because it did remedy her pain when she was unable to feel her pain. In addition, nature is seen as an outlet for Ree. It is apparent that Ree finds peace within nature and is her way of escaping her sense of reality. Furthermore, nature acts as way to build up her confidence as seen when she teaches her younger brothers how to shoot and skin squirrels.
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