Coping Through Escapism

     In the novel, Winter’s Bone, written by Daniel Woodrell, the theme of escapism is at the forefront of understanding the work as a whole. Escapism in this novel takes many different forms, whether that be emotional, physical, or social. The manifestation of escapism is largely due to the rough conditions in which they live in, as well as the widespread presence of illicit drugs, namely methamphetamine, that impacts every character in the novel. 

The protagonist in this novel, Ree Dolly, utilizes escapism in order to cope with the harsh realities of her life. Since a rather young age, Ree was forced to assume the caretaker role in her family, both for her younger brothers and for her mother, whose mental illnesses seem to incapacitate her entirely. The lack of a parental figure in her life takes a mental toll, which explains why she must find some type of escape through sounds. The novel says, 

Ree needed often to 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 gray room, agitated and endlessly provoked but yearning to hear something that

might bring a moment’s rest (Woodrell 10). 

Ree’s situation clearly induces constant mental unrest, which requires escapism as a tool to cope. Ree likely would not be able to keep her composure and function properly if it were not for these integral, albeit short, moments of induced peace, which emphasizes the importance of escapism in the novel. 

In addition to the emotional escapism that Ree utilizes, escapism is also seen strongly within the people of the Missouri Ozarks, who largely depend on the production of methamphetamine in order to make a living. Not only is meth widely produced, but it is also very commonly used, so much to the point where it is considered to be the societal norm. When describing the relationship between Ree’s father and meth, Sheriff Baskin, says “‘Shit, Jessup’s just about the best crank chef these Dollys and them ever have had, girl. Practically half famous for it’” (14). The casual manner in which the sheriff discusses the production of meth suggests a long history of the usage and making of meth in this region. It has become so normalized that even law enforcement acknowledges it as the norm. This then further suggests that the presence of meth in this community has induced a dangerous cycle of addiction, poverty, and violence. Because people are unable to physically escape the restraints that this cycle perpetuates, they fall back to the use of illicit drugs as a form of escapism, which demonstrates a strong reliance of escapism in order to relieve themselves of the unpleasant reality that they are currently living in.