Throughout Daniel Woodrell’s novel Winter Bone, silence is an important
theme that constantly pops up within the story.
In fact, it could be seen as one of the driving plot points/themes of
the novel due to the fact that Ree is constantly up against the secrets and
silence of her family in regards to her father’s whereabouts. From Thump Milton’s wife Merab, who states “Talkin’
just causes witnesses” (61), to Uncle Teardrop stating he knows who killed
Jessup, but not revealing the name (192), the plot is shrouded in silence and mystery.
In fact, it is because of Jessup
breaking his silence on the illegal activity occurring within the family and
community that he gets killed. On top of
that, no one is willing to talk to Ree about her father and his whereabouts
because it is either dangerous and/or incriminating to do so. Not snitching and staying quiet is the Dolly
family code, and anyone who goes against that paints a giant target on their
back. Through this theme of silence,
though, one of the main arguments/ideas of the novel is revealed, and that is
that change comes from unexpected places.
Ree is a very strong
protagonist. She is physically and
mentally tough, takes care of/supports her family more than her own mother and father and has a drive unlike any other character in the novel. She refuses to give up, even when it means
putting her life in danger. But while
this may be the case, she is in one of the lowest positions of power within her
family. This is reflected in the way she
is treated by everyone and how she is kept out of the loop on important
matters, such as what happened to her father. While this is true, though, her drive and relentless
pursuit of the truth scare the rest of the family. They realize how dedicated she is to finding
out what happened to her father that they ultimately give in to helping her
out. Not only that, but her outspokenness
and dedication seem to change Uncle Teardrop (and potentially the way the rest
of the family operates) for the better.
He stands up against Thump Milton to protect her, even though it puts
him in harm’s way (137). This goes to
show that speaking out and doing what you believe in, no matter how much power
you feel like you have, can lead to major change. This idea applies to so many different areas
of life and society. You never know
where change can come from. It also goes
to show that sometimes being silent and secretive can be more damaging to those
around you than being vocal and outspoken.
Ree is seen as one of the lowest ranking members in her family, which is why no one bothers treating her with respect or trusting her with the truth. When Ree asks for information, those that seem to know answer dismissively or give her money instead as a way of avoiding her requests. Jessup had also “snitched” on the meth cooks, which cost him his life and fostered a distrust in the rest of Jessup’s family, especially Ree. When she traveled to Thump Milton’s house to talk with him about Jessup, Milton’s wife came out instead and said, “’If you’re listenin’, child, you got your answer. Now, go, get on away from here…and don’t come back’n try’n ask him twice. Just don’t’” (63). Ree hears silence when she tries to listen for the truth not only because everyone sees her as a child, but also as a liability. The truth, however, is that Ree can and does handle more than most. She fills the shoes of both her mother and her father, and the burden of full responsibility overwhelms her at times. To silence them, she will often “inject herself with pleasant sounds, stab those sounds past the constant screeching, squalling hubbub regular life raised inside her spirit, poke the soothing sounds past that racket and down deep where her jittering soul paced on a stone slab in a grey room, agitated and endlessly provoked but yearning to hear something at a moment’s rest” (10). The lack of sound where Ree wants to hear it and the overwhelming presence of sound where Ree doesn’t want to hear it torments her as she tries to take care of her family and find her father.
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