In the book Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell, the author explores the concept of rejection and

redefinition of traditional gender roles within a conservative society. In the community described in

Winter’s Bone, women were expected to be submissive and obedient to men and served primarily as

caregivers. The characters of Winter’s Bone, particularly Ree, act in ways that defy gender roles; but by

doing so Ree ultimately abides by the traditional female role as a caregiver to one’s family. Ree defies

her society’s prescribed gender roles by taking on masculine roles, searching for her father, and

engaging in disobedience.

Early on in the novel it is clear that Ree has an unusual strength and a tendency to reject. Details

such as wearing combat boots with her yellow dress immediately suggests that her strength contradicts

other feminine traits she may have. We also find out that she intended on joining the military after her

next birthday so that she may have “only her own concerns to tote” (pg. 15) and suggesting that while

she clearly cared about her family, she had no desire to stay and care for them, although that is what

her society would dictate as appropriate. Ree’s relationship with Gail could be considered somewhat

masculine as well, because she notes several times in the book that she does not wish to be married and

resists physical relationships with male characters, but her relationship with Gail is described as being

very close and at times physically intimate; Ree rejects the typical relationship patterns in which females

are strictly friends and men are sought after as lovers. Most significantly, instead of accepting that her

home and livelihood would be taken away from her as payment for her father’s bail, Ree takes it upon

herself to find her father dead or alive. This is very different compared to Gail who accepted her fate of

having to marry the boy who got her pregnant and served as an example of accepting expectations of

her as a female, contrary to Ree. However, by deciding to find her father so that her family would not

lose the house, she is acting as a caregiver and placing her family’s well-being above her own, thus

abiding by female gender roles.

Another clear way Ree strays from female gender roles is by the way she communicates with

the men in her community. When Ree first communicates with Uncle Teardrop, he insists that whether

or not Jessup shows up to his trial is “a man’s personal choice” (pg. 23) and had that she should not be

involving herself in his affairs. Uncle Teardrop tries to pacify Victoria in a similar way when she tries to

intervene on his and Ree’s conversation by saying “I said shut up once already, with my mouth” (pg. 25)

and suggesting that if she did not listen he would get physical with her. These interactions show the

reader that Jessup’s situation is considered men’s business and women had no place trying into

interfere, no matter what the negative consequences might be for them. Initially Ree is not welcome to

this business, but through her persistence she gains enough of Uncle Teardrop’s interest for him to

allow her, but not Victoria, into a less authoritative conversation about finding Jessup. Her insistence on

talking to Thump Milton despite how “he won’t talk much to women” (pg. 60) was also unusual,

especially because she curses him before she leaves because he would not see her. Ree did not want to

talk to any of these men because she feared them but she knew it was necessary in order to find Jessup

so that she could fulfill her role as caregiver and secure a home for her family.

Finally, Ree defies the female gender role of being submissive and obedient by consistently

disobeying the people she seeks counsel from. Uncle Teardrop tells her not to involve herself in Jessup’s

business or to seek help from people in Hawkfall, but she makes it clear to him that she must to help her

family. Ree’s disobedience helps her provide for her family as Uncle Teardrop gives up and gives Ree

fifty dollars to help care for herself and her family. Later on, by disobeying Thump Milton’s orders to

stop looking for Jessup, Ree ends up getting beaten by Mrs. Thump and the other women as

punishment. Although this is initially a negative consequence, it gives Ree the chance to explain that she

does not agree with what her father did nor does she care who killed him; she wants only to protect her

mother and brothers by proving that he was dead.

Overall, Ree goes against the gender roles expected for females in her society by deciding acting

more masculine, communicating with the men in her community in ways that were considered

offensive, and by being habitually disobedient. By doing so, she accomplishes her goal of proving her

father was dead and saving her family’s home. Even after doing so, she chooses to remain with her

family and ultimately decide to serve as their permanent caregiver even though she created a scenario

in which she could continue defying female gender roles and leave. Thus, her actions to save her family

as well as her decision to stay with them afterwards required her to defy female gender roles, but only

so that she would ultimately be acting as their caregiver and ultimately abide by her society’s

expectations of females.