Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Winter’s Bone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Silence and Secrets
Family, Destiny, and Inheritance
Violence and Decay
Isolation and Independence
Women and Matriarchy
Summary
Analysis
The women of Rathlin Valley pay Ree a series of visits. They fuss over her injuries and talk badly about the Thump women, remarking that “there’s never no call to do a girl like that.” Sonya gives Gail some pain pills for her to feed to Ree, instructing her to start with two and then “build from there to whatever number lets her rest.”
The women of Rathlin Valley take gentle care of Ree in a stark contrast to the Hawkfall women, who inflicted such physical and psychological damage upon her. The community comes together and provides for Ree, illustrating their duty to one another in times of need.
Themes
