Gender roles in "Winter's Bone"

In Daniel Woodrell’s “Winter’s Bone,” the reader is introduced to multiple Dolly family units that conform to traditional gender roles. Victoria, Uncle Teardrop’s third and fifth wife, is a traditional housewife, serving Ree coffee and comforting her in the face of her husband’s anger. Her lack of power in their marriage can be seen when after an argument with Teardrop, Victoria comes back with her head lowered and apologetically conveys Teardrop’s decision not to help Ree find her father. This same dynamic can again be seen in Gail and Floyd’s relationship. Gail takes on the sole responsibility of raising their son while Floyd works and has a blatant affair, knowing that Gail is unable to leave him. She is also in a situation where she is largely unable to make her own decisions, even having to ask her husband’s permission to take the car — an act of submission that Ree finds upsetting, telling Gail, “It’s just so sad … to hear you say he won’t let you do somethin’, and then you don’t do it,” (Woodrell 35). 

Ree’s criticism of Gail’s marriage structure proves that she, at least to some extent, doesn’t accept traditional gender roles in her own life. Because of Jessup’s absence in Ree and her brother’s lives, Ree is forced to take on roles traditionally accepted as fatherly – teaching her brothers how to hunt and fight, bringing home food and money, putting herself in danger to protect her dependents, and representing their family among other Dollys. Her position at the head of her family separates her from what is traditionally accepted as the role of a woman. However, the novel also provides instances where Ree conforms to the female gender expectations, as she is the one to cook, raise her brothers, wash their mother’s hair, and become their overall caretaker.  

The balance between male and female roles is exemplified in the clothing choices of the characters. Victoria “had a closet that held no jeans or slacks but was stuffed with dresses—” women’s clothing that carries a connotation of weakness and femininity (21-22). Ree, on the other hand, “nearly always wore a dress or skirt, but with combat boots,” (20). The dresses being hand-me-downs from other Dolly women highlights the traditional female roles placed on her by society and her family, while the contrast of the combat boots illustrates Ree’s strength and practicality, and her decision to take on the duties of the man of the family as well as the woman.