7. Analyse how disappointment or loss affected the relationships of a character or individual in the written text(s).

In the novel ‘Winter’s Bone’ written by Daniel Woodrell, Ree Dolly’s relationship with her family, the Rathlin Valley community and the Hawkfall community were heavily affected by the loss of her father, Jessup. The affect that this loss has on Ree’s relationships is important to the plot because it highlights the struggles that Ree must overcome and outlines how quickly things change in the community Ree lives in.

The loss of Ree’s father affects her relationship with her family in multiple different ways. Firstly, her interaction with her two younger siblings, Sonny and Harold was affected. One her father leaves, she must provide for her family by catching their food and cooking and cleaning all on her own. As Ree begins to realise that her father is never coming back, it dawns on her that the boys must learn to fend for themselves if Ree wasn’t around for some reason. The boys are taught how to bathe their sick ill mother, how to cook, how to shoot, what to shoot and when, and how to dress rabbits. These are all skills that Ree has and uses in order to get by day-to-day without the provision of money from her father. Throughout the whole novel Ree is teaching the boys, throwing them occasional tips and lessons to aid them for the times when they are left to fend by themselves such as “Never never ask for what ought to be offered” and “You got a whole