Perhaps one of the most telling young adult novels about the lengths that people go to for their families, Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone, tells the story of a 16 year old girl, Ree, and her obstacles to find her father, Jessup. Living in the Ozarks, the people of Rathlin Valley and Hawkfall abide by the Dolly code in which you don 't ask questions, look out for only yourself and your family, and definitely don 't snitch. It 's a code followed by all without question. In a tale of circumstance and familial bond, Winter’s Bone portrays Ree, Jessup, and Teardrop as heroes in a world where heroism is unwelcome. All three characters follow the Dolly code to an extent; they follow the Dolly ideal: family is the most important thing. The difference
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He never went against the code, until it came between him and his family. He snitched because he, "...couldn’t face this last bust, couldn’t face a ten-year jolt. Plus there’s your mom, sittin’ home crazy forever. That was heavy on his mind.” (140). Jessup, though not a great father, has done some great things for his family. He teaches Ree how to shoot and fight so that even if he wasn 't there, she could still protect the family. All those years of following the Dolly code, - a code that is so embedded in the people of the Ozark community, it may as well be their constitution - Jessup proved himself to be loyal to the Code and the cycle it promoted. He never strays from it or questions it, but in his final hours, Jessup does what no one expects him to do, he goes against the Code: "the biggest ancient no-no of all" (140). He obviously gave up his life to save his family. He willing gets out of jail and allows himself to get killed so that his family wouldn 't have to face the …show more content…
They choose which rules to follow and which ones to ignore. Ree bases her choices on her morals and what she thinks should be allowed – like asking family members for help when you 're in need of it -. Teardrop and Jessup mostly make their choice to not follow the Dolly code not because of their moral values but because the livelihood and well-being of their family depended on it. Ree like Teardrop and Jessup would do anything for her family including risking her life by going against a violent and harsh community. When Ree says that she is a Dolly "Bred’n buttered" (125), she doesn 't mean that she 's a criminal or that she 's violent. She means that she loves her family, and that she will do anything to help her blood. This quality is part of the Dolly code, the part she chooses to follow along with Teardrop and Jessup. These three characters are very similar in that they respect the rules of the community set forth by the Dolly code, but do not abide by every single one when it hurts the people they care about, their
He never went against the code, until it came between him and his family. He snitched because he, "...couldn’t face this last bust, couldn’t face a ten-year jolt. Plus there’s your mom, sittin’ home crazy forever. That was heavy on his mind.” (140). Jessup, though not a great father, has done some great things for his family. He teaches Ree how to shoot and fight so that even if he wasn 't there, she could still protect the family. All those years of following the Dolly code, - a code that is so embedded in the people of the Ozark community, it may as well be their constitution - Jessup proved himself to be loyal to the Code and the cycle it promoted. He never strays from it or questions it, but in his final hours, Jessup does what no one expects him to do, he goes against the Code: "the biggest ancient no-no of all" (140). He obviously gave up his life to save his family. He willing gets out of jail and allows himself to get killed so that his family wouldn 't have to face the …show more content…
They choose which rules to follow and which ones to ignore. Ree bases her choices on her morals and what she thinks should be allowed – like asking family members for help when you 're in need of it -. Teardrop and Jessup mostly make their choice to not follow the Dolly code not because of their moral values but because the livelihood and well-being of their family depended on it. Ree like Teardrop and Jessup would do anything for her family including risking her life by going against a violent and harsh community. When Ree says that she is a Dolly "Bred’n buttered" (125), she doesn 't mean that she 's a criminal or that she 's violent. She means that she loves her family, and that she will do anything to help her blood. This quality is part of the Dolly code, the part she chooses to follow along with Teardrop and Jessup. These three characters are very similar in that they respect the rules of the community set forth by the Dolly code, but do not abide by every single one when it hurts the people they care about, their