Theme Identity In Winter's Bone By Cheryl Strayed

Authors have used the theme identity many times. The theme identity allows authors to be able to connect to their readers. Yet, authors also have the ability to portray identity in different ways. In the novel, “Winter’s Bone,” Daniel Woodrell uses the main character’s actions to show that one’s identity can be seen through one’s behavior. Whereas, in Cheryl Strayed’s essay, “The Love of My Life,” provides an opposing stance in which identity is not seen through one’s actions. The works of Woodrell and Strayed provide opposing viewpoints that show how a character’s identity can or cannot be portrayed by their actions.
In Cheryl Strayed’s “The Love of My Life,” the narrator seems to want the reader’s to identify her as a slut. She knows that …show more content…
Where actions not only portray one’s identity, it expresses one’s fate. In “Winter’s Bone” Ree’s actions helps the reader to recognize distinct characteristics about her that help piece together her identity. Some of her actions include taking on the role as both mother and father to her two younger brothers and her ill mother. For example, Ree teaches her two brothers, Sonny and Harold, how shoot and gut a squirrel (Woodrell, 103-107). This is part of a parent’s role, but instead Ree has to take on the role even if she is only sixteen. Ree also takes on the responsibility of looking for her father. These actions show that Ree is responsible despite being so young and as her quest continues to get harder, she is persistent to find her father. This says a lot about Rees character since she takes on the maturity of an adult whereas she is just a child herself. This may be due to the fact she is forced to grow up due to her situation where is the only capable person who can take care of the …show more content…
One’s identity is determined based one’s name as well as their blood ties within the town. One’s name determines one’s life and how they are useful to the family. “ Some names could rise o walk many paths in many directions, but Jessups…were born to walk only the beaten Dolly path to the shadowed place…(Woodrell, 62). As a Dolly, Ree has expectations placed on her that she would become a crank and becoming a crank addict herself. However, she goes against what is expected of her, she refuses crank it is offered to her on multiple occasions. This shows how Ree creates her own identity for herself. Despite going against her name Ree also uses it in order to use her blood ties within the small town to find out where her father is. Ree also takes pride in her name. She says, “I’m a Dolly, bred’n buttered” (Woodrell, 125). Ree accepts her name and makes the best of it. So even though Ree may not want to carry the expectations of a Dolly, she still takes pride of where she comes from. Through Ree’s actions reader’s are able to determine her identity not only as a Dolly but what she is to her