Is it a Man's or Woman's Job?

Chad Anderson

English 102

Instructor Laura Cline

25 March 2012

Is it a Man’s or Woman’s Job?

Winter’s Bone is a very dramatic story about a young teenager, Ree Dolly, and the hardship she goes through to provide for her family.  Her mother is mentally ill, and her father is missing.  As the story unfolds Woodrell tells of her surroundings that are full of drug addicts and other miscreants.  She barely has enough food for the two other children her parents left her to deal with.  She soon finds out that there is something that is being hidden from her.  She knows that her dad is a meth cook.  She also knows that the people he is dealing with aren’t a nice bunch.  She is surprised to find out that her father has put up the house and all their land for bond.  He is missing and no one seems to know where he can be found.  This leaves Ree with care of a crazy mother, and two siblings with the possibility of losing the house.  This knowledge sends her on a search for her father.  After she is given the runaround and beaten senseless, she finds out he has been killed because he talked to the police. In Daniel Woodrell’s book Winter’s Bone,  Ree Dolly embodies mature gender roles that take place when a father and mother figure isn’t present in the family home, both traditional and non-traditional.

            “"Gender" refers not to male and female, but to masculine and feminine - that is, to qualities or characteristics that society ascribes to each sex” (“Gender”).   Men make the money for the house as well decide where it is spent.  Women clean the house, and raise the children.  Although, gender roles are changing from generation to generation, the place where Ree lives is still living by pre woman’s rights movement standards.  She shows in many ways how she stays within these roles, and crosses the boundaries of traditional gender roles throughout the book.       

Ree is placed in a situation of emotional maturity because of two main factors; the absence of her father, and her mother being ill.  Her father was a meth producer that was in trouble with the law on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, as Nick Reding points out in his book Methland, “What set meth apart was not only the idea that one could make it in the bathtub, but the people that were doing it were poor or working class rural whites” (Reding pg.16).  His last offense was the same as the one before, cooking crank.  This one would have landed him in jail for at least ten years.  Even if he wasn’t killed, he would have been absent from the home leaving her family, making Ree take care of two kids and her mother while poor and with no income.  Her mother being mentally ill is also another factor that plays a very big role in her servitude.  She is barely coherent most of the day. Woodrell writes, “Mom’s morning pills made her into a cat, a breathing thing that sat near heat and occasionally made a sound” (Woodrell pg. 6).  Her mother’s lack of mental stability and her father not being around place a huge burden on Ree.  She is forced to be both parents in one.  Because of the time she has to spend around the house, she is forced to drop out of school lowering her chances of getting a higher education.  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has this to say about women in rural areas: “By any indicator of human development, female power and resources are lowest in rural areas… Rural women make up the majority of the world's poor. They have the world's lowest levels of schooling and the highest rates of illiteracy” (“Gender”).  The absence of her father and mother, plus the economics of her region play a big factor into the roles that Ree has to play in her life.  She has many duties that transcend her gender, as well as her age.   

Many of Ree’s actions fall under traditional gender roles.  She is the matriarch of the family, even at the age of sixteen.  In an article about the gender roles and how they are changing it states, “Working mothers still do twice as much housework as their husbands…” (Morin, Megan Rosenfield).  The circumstances Ree lives in don’t fit this exactly, but it tells what is expected of a working mother in today’s society.   Woodrell goes through the trouble to paint the picture of her doing many household duties.  He writes of her doing the dishes, laundry, cooking, and maintaining cleanliness around the house.  She is also in charge of making sure the children do their homework and get to school.  Another example of the traditional duties is her teaching the children how to cook.  She is very kind about it, making them watch and explaining why she is doing different things.  As well as all those household duties, she has undertaken the job of teaching manners. Harold is eying a deer that is strung up at the neighbor’s house. He asks if they should ask for some, they are very hungry and almost out of food.  Woodrell writes, “She looked at Harold, with his easy smile, black hair riffling in the wind, then snatched his nearest ear and twisted until his jaw fell loose and he raised his hand to swat at hers.  She twisted until he bore up under the pain and stopped swatting.  “Never. Never ask for what ought to be offered”” (Woodrell pg. 5).   Teaching manners is usually a job that a mother takes pride in doing.  Since he mother is absent in spirit she has to take on that role.  As well as tending to the children, she has to care for her mother as well.  A good example of her caring disposition is the way that she cares for her mother’s hair.  This shows the kindness that she still has for her mother, even though she is absent from her family life. 

Ree also has non-traditional roles that make her the Patriarch of her household as well.  The FOA of the United Nations says,” Men prepare land, irrigate crops, and harvest and transport produce to market. They own and trade large animals such as cattle, and are responsible for cutting, hauling and selling timber from forests” (“Gender”).  Ree doesn’t fall under all of these guidelines, but she does in many situations take on the male gender role. She chops the wood, because there isn’t enough.  Luckily the neighbors let her use their splitter because there isn’t any fuel in the chainsaw.  She is also left with the task of teaching the children how to shoot and hunt.  This is a job that is usually carried out by the father of the household.  Gathering food and providing for the family.  She shows the children how to skin the squirrels as well.  Men of the household usually care for the finances.  One example of her choosing the spending of the family is when Ree and Clair are at the grocery store.  Claire suggests getting “sprinkle cheese”.  Ree says “ Nope. Once the boys start likin’ it they’ll want it all the time.  It’s too expensive. It cost more than meat” (Woodrell pg. 123).  She didn’t want to get the cheese because that meant she’ll have to buy it every time she goes to the grocery store.  This is preemptive logic for hard times.  She is also the spokesperson for the home.  When the Sherriff comes to the house he tries to talk to her mother.  Ree stops this because she knows her mother won’t respond.  He intern talks to her about her father being missing, and having a court date coming up.  Even Thump Milton’s wife thinks that   a man should handle the business of communication between families.   When Ree goes to Thump’s house his wife states within a few minutes, “Ain’t you got no men could do this” (Woodrell pg. 60).  Ways in rural America are still as they were in the 1960’s, men do the talking about family business.  Her talking to the bail bondsmen enforces this idea.  She is taking on the entire burden placed on the family, due to her father’s disappearance. 

There are other examples of women pushing the boundaries of gender roles as well.  Claire and Thump’s wife make two fine examples.  Claire is at home with her child most of the time.  She is a bonded servant, to her husband.  The prime example of her pushing the boundries is her getting away from her husband to help Ree go to Arkansas.  This only after Ree has a talk with Claire about her passivity.  Woodell writes, ”It’s just so sad, man, so fuckin’ sad to hear you say he won’t let you do somethin’ and then you don’t do it” (Woodrell pg. 35).  Claire finally pushes her boundaries after this said.  It makes her come to her senses about not always having to do what the husband tells you to do.  Thump’s wife became an enforcer.  She took charge when Ree showed up the second time, and proceeded to beat Ree into a state that made her bowels loose.  She was also entrusted with the dirty work of bringing Ree to her dad’s body.  When they got there and Ree couldn’t cut off her dad’s hands, Thump’s wife took over and did it for her.  These are both things that would be taken care of by males in most situations. 

Woodrell tries to make the story complex with the transfer of roles, while still keeping true to the prevailing societal norms.  It goes to show that even in a social structure where men are the predominant force there are still roles that overlap to women in certain situations.  Ree’s situation is one of enduring hardship and pain.  She was left to take care of a family while she is still in her youth.  It is true that in the earlier years of mankind she would be considered a woman, but times have changed greatly.  Civilizations are always changing, as is the culture of those civilizations.  Things that are normal in West Africa will be looked on with scorn in Switzerland.  The common sentiment in Ree’s region is that a child shouldn’t be placed with the burden of a whole family, but she still holds on strong to her implied duties.  Her strength in the story is ever present; she overcomes every obstacle that is placed in front of her.  This strength is an example of what women are made of.  They persevere through lots of hardship and keep going in spite of the pain.  The points in this essay are definitely a side note to the prevailing subject, meth use, but it is one that should be addressed.  Women all over the world are being treated horribly and that should not be the case.  Hopefully, in the future this will be something looked upon as one of those relics of civilization’s past.   

Works Cited

Reding, Nick. Methland, The Death And Life Of An American Small Town. Bloomsbury USA, 2009. Print.

Morin, Richard, and Megan Rosenfield. "With More Equity, More Sweat." Washington post 22 03 1998, n. pag. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/gender/gender22a.htm>.

"Why Gender?." Gender. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Na, 2011. Web. 19 Mar 2012. <http://www.fao.org/gender/gender-home/gender-why/why-gender/en/>.

Woodrell, Daniel. Winter's Bone. New York: Back Bay Books, 2006. Print.

Image taken from:

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=woman+in+the+kitchen&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=643&gbv=2&tbm=isch&imgrefurl=http://samababy.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/food-what-inspires-you/woman-cooking/&tbnid=oYwgFuKexB-mGM&docid=vg-IOQiU8H_P3M&ved=0CEMQhRYoAA&dur=1949