Winter's Bone (20-81): Dreams

In our next reading of Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone, Woodrell begins to illustrate the theme of desire. Woodrell introduces a new character, Gail Lockrum, who is Ree's best friend and is confined to her current lifestyle and cannot attain her dreams. Woodrell writes that she "had been required by pregnancy to marry Floyd Langan," and at a young age, she must care for her child, Ned. Even before Gail gave birth to Ned, Woodrell explains that she and Ree grew close by spending "idle hours of each passing year happily swapping clothes and dreams" (31). Ree and Gail are capable of maintaing a friendship built upon "swapping" their dreams because they are both continuously unable to attain their dreams "each passing year." While Gail is forced to take care of Ned, although Ree does not have a child of her own, she is obliged to take care of her brothers, mom, and house. Sadly, Woodrell reveals that while both girls are so young, their liveliness and vivacity has already halted. Similarly to a person of an older age who must focus on their responsibilities, such as work, kids etc., both Gail and Ree bond well because they dream. Like Gail and Ree, Sonny and Harold share the same desire to dream. When Ree teaches them how to wash their mother's hair, they are distracted by the their favorite program that is shown on tv. Woodrell describes the show to possess a "smiley dog" who was "chasing adventure" while "wearing a suit of shining armor" (40). Their love for this program reveals that they are absorbed with the hope of also "chasing adventure." Interestingly enough, Woodrell also adds that the "smiley" dog wears a "suit of shining armor." So far, Woodrell has not included any characters by their "smiley" faces, which further exposes that the boys also aspire to be so happy that they can be described as smiley. One questions whether all the characters in Woodrell's novel escape their current dismal lives to finally obtain their dreams.