Ree’s Role in Winter’s Bone

Ree, the sixteen year old protagonist in Winter’s Bone, bears more responsibility in her life than an average sixteen year old.  She is placed in a situation in which her mother is severely mentally ill and incapable of being a mother anymore.  Her father is missing and the family is at risk of losing everything if he does not appear in court.  She is forced to care for her two younger siblings, Harold and Sonny.  Ree fully embraces her role as the glue to her family as she does whatever it takes to make sure her loved ones are cared for.

Ree is not only in a critically important role caring for her mother and brothers, she also plays an important part in Gail’s life.  The two girls are transparently in love with one another and they show it in physical ways, as well as their caring gestures for each other.  The region of the Ozarks the novel is set in is in a part of the country where homosexuality is not recognized as legitimate or even real.  The girls do not seem to even understand their own sexuality, albeit the clear signs of a romantic love existing between Ree and Gail.

A clear barrier to a Ree and Gail’s relationship is the existence of a husband and child for Gail.  Floyd, the husband of Gail, is not genuinely in love with Gail but because he got her pregnant, he is forced to marry her.  He constantly lies to Gail and cheats on her with the woman he truly loves.  The two have a young baby named Ned, which causes the two of them to stay together even though both of them would be happier with other lovers.

Ree cares for Gail as if she was family.  She happily takes in Gail when Floyd kicks her out of the house and yet still does not show any anger when Gail goes back to Floyd.  Ree is the most pure and genuine character from the novel, however she is gritty and will do anything to provide the best life possible for herself and her family.  She displays her strength when she is forced to saw her own father’s hands off of his dead corpse in order to save her house and land.  Ree acts as the central holding piece to keep her family and Gail from completely dismantling.  Without Ree, this novel has a much bleaker ending and there is no doubt about it.