Winter’s Bone her character has to follow her father’s trail into a world of meth, violence, and people that are bound by codes of loyalty and secrecy. As Ree Dolly is searching for her father she never passes moral judgment on the other characters. She always stayed true to herself and was determined to find her father no matter what the cost was. Ree Dolly has constantly had to take care of her younger siblings, Sonny and Ashlee, since her father abandoned them and her mother got sick. She would teach them how to do laundry, cook, and even hunt to make sure they knew how to survive on their own.
On one occasion the police officer arrived at their doorstep and told them if their father doesn’t show up at his court date, they’ll take the house to pay for the rest of his bond. Ree Dolly was determined from right then and there that she would do anything to find her father to make sure she gets to keep that house. She went to her uncle’s house first to see if he had seen her father. Her uncle, Tear Drop, didn’t want anything to do with her and threatened her by choking her. She left after that, but that still didn’t stop her from finding her father.
She was determined to find answers no matter what it takes. Ree Dolly’s determination was inspirational. During her journey she came across some ruthless people. These local criminals offered her drugs, but she never took nor did them. All she wanted to do was find her father, so they could keep their house. She also never took “no” for an answer. As she traveled from house to house asking people of questionable backgrounds if they’ve seen her father, she was hollered at and told to go away.
Ree Dolly always stood up to the local criminals nd in the end that’s what helped her get the answers she needed. But before she got her answers she went through a struggle. Little Arthur heard that Ree was looking for him, so he took her where he last saw her father. The place where he last saw her father was a meth lab that burnt down after an explosion. Little Arthur said that her father was dead. Ree didn’t believe him, because the inside of the burnt house was full of grown out o the house must’ve been burnt down for an extended time.
This made Ree more determined, because now she knew people were lying for some reason to make sure she didn’t find her father. As Ree kept looking she kept making enemies. She made one specific enemy that ended up with her getting beaten up. When she was done getting beaten up, surprisingly her uncle, Tear Drop, came to rescue her. Once she was safe and at home she had a bad dream. Her dream was filled with animals running around, woods burning, and trees falling down. I thought this was also a representation of her life.
She’s been trying so hard to find her father and answers of what happened to him, but nothing is going right. So the trees falling down and the woods burning are her life and she’s the animals’ running around. Her life’s falling apart trying to find her father and there’s not much she can do. Soon after she recovers from her injuries, she gets back up and goes looking for answers again. Merab, one of the ladies who beat her up comes to her house to help her. They finally realized that Ree wasn’t going to give up and that she has a lot of courage and determination.
Merab and her sisters take Ree to her father’s body. Ree needed evidence that her father was dead so that she could keep the house. Once they found his body in the water they had to cut his hands off as proof that her father was dead. It seemed that Ree was devastated that they finally found her fathers body, but also relieved. I saw it as although they were physically cutting his hands off, she was also cutting all ties to him out of her life. She no longer had to look for him anymore or go through any more struggles. Her journey was completed.
Since Ree ultimately gets to keep their house she can finally relax. After going through a long season in the cold, her determination and persistence led her to renew family members and a lot of cash from a mysterious donor. Tear Drop comes over to the house and gave Sonny and Ashlee two baby chicks, which is another symbol of new life. So they get to start over and have a new beginning. Ree realized that she didn’t want to go into the Army and that it was better if she stayed at home to take care of everyone. And she also realized that her father died from trying to be a better man.
He made a deal to give evidence against other meth makers and dealers in the area in order to avoid jail time. Ree Dolly’s development throughout the movie is accomplished through her determination and persistence. Her responses during dreadful circumstances help her to achieve the answers she needs. The Ozark wilderness is a world of meth, violence, and people that are bound by codes of loyalty and secrecy. And Ree learns how to respond and work her way throughout her problems she comes near. By staying determined and never giving up, Ree gets the answers she needs and even makes some friends along the way.
