Winter's Bone

As Ree lies in bed, she begins to mentally prepare for the house’s foreclosure. She plans to move her family to a cave, and she imagines furnishing it so that it resembles home. Ree’s brothers take care of her, and ask her for further details about what happened. Sonny also asks Ree to tell him the names of her attackers, “For when [they] grow up” (147), but Ree redirects the conversation to avoid answering him. Under medication, Ree dreams restlessly; in her dreams, the affirmation “I ain’t never goin’ to be crazy” (147) becomes a continuous refrain.

After Ree awakens and takes more pain medication, she spies Uncle Teardrop looking out the window with his rifle. In her drug-induced stupor, Ree admits to Teardrop that she is ashamed of her dad for snitching because it broke the moral law all Dollys live by. Teardrop responds: “Well, he loved y’all. That’s where he went weak” (149). Teardrop tells Ree that people can be tough until one day they break; he refers to her mother, Connie, and Jessup as examples of how resilient people can suddenly break. As Teardrop speaks to Ree, she knows that Sonny is listening from his bed, “hearing words he’d be feeding on the rest of his life” (149).

Ree asks Teardrop if other Dollys are shunning their family because of her father’s betrayal; Teardrop assures her that the Dollys are old blood with their own moral code, but time can change things. Moreover, Teardrop reassures Ree that people have noticed her and her “sand” (150), and know that she does not resemble her father. In response, Ree admits that she has always been afraid of Teardrop. Rather than being offended, Teardrop claims that her trepidation demonstrates her intelligence. Ree falls asleep on the couch before moving into the bed with Gail, where she falls into a dreamless sleep. 

Ree eats breakfast with Gail and her family. Before they leave for school, her brothers ask about the severity of Ree’s injuries and whether they should instigate a fight with two Miltons they know at school for her. Ree firmly tells the boys to avoid fighting Miltons at school unless she gives them her permission beforehand. After the boys have left, Ree sits in her mother’s rocking chair and hums to herself while watching Gail perform her chores in her stead. This role reversal leaves Ree shaken by the fear of becoming her mother. The mantra from her dream and from her confrontation with Mrs. Thump echoes in her head: “I ain’t never goin’ to be crazy!” (152).

After Gail finishes the dishes, she offers to take Ree somewhere to help with her bruises. Before they leave, however, Ree decides that she should take the shotgun with them in case someone attacks her again. As Gail and Ree drive away, they see Sonya and four other women talking to two women from Hawkfall Valley. While Ree begrudgingly notes that she has no grievance against those two particular women, Gail surmises that Sonya appears to be defending Ree rather than listening to the gossip. Ree speculates that Sonya’s defense of her character is tied Sonya’s affection for Sonny, who greatly resembles his father, Blond Milton. At this, Ree and Gail briefly wonder if Sonya knows who Sonny’s real father is.  

As they drive, Ree and Gail continue to wonder what will happen to them if they lose the house. Ree wonders if her current medical condition will influence her enlistment in the U.S. Army, before considering what to do about her brothers and mother. While Gail believes it might be wise to let Blond Milton take Sonny in, Ree disagrees, believing that “he’ll make Sonny what [she] hoped he wouldn’t be” (155). Gail argues that it might be the only choice, and Ree realizes she might eventually have to leave her mother in an institution and give Harold to Teardrop.

Gail and Ree reach their destination—Bucket Spring—where the women swim in the brisk water and warm themselves by a fire. While crouching around the fire, Gail informs Ree of her decision to return to Floyd. Ree questions her decision, but Gail gently admonishes Ree: “Ned’s gonna need more than me in this life, Ree. You had ought to know that real well yourself” (159). Gail also admits that she does not want Ned involved in Ree’s ongoing troubles regarding Jessup’s disappearance.

At Gail’s announcement, Ree returns to the spring and submerges herself completely in the water. When she returns to the fire, Gail notes that she seems less stiff, to which Ree replies, “I forgot where I hurt” (160). Noticing Ree’s discontent, Gail assures her that, while she may not be in love with Floyd, she loves her son. Ree persists in her questioning; asking Gail if she didn’t liked their time together. Gail responds that while she liked it, she didn’t like it enough. As they return home, Ree offers to sell some timber to Floyd and his father as a gesture of acceptance.