The Definition Of A Hero In Winter's Bone Daniel Woodrell

As Joseph Campbell once said, “a hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” It is difficult at times for people to become completely selfless. It takes courage to face one's obstacles and put another above one’s self to make that person's life simply better. In the novel Winter’s Bone Daniel Woodrell portrays Ree Dolly, a seventeen year old protagonist, as the true definition of a hero. Ree exemplifies Campbell's definition of a hero in the areas of a brother battle, entering the belly of the whale, ultimate boon, and the rescue from without.

Ree fulfills Joseph Campbell’s definition of a brother battle. Campbell describes a brother battle as when “many heroes find themselves locked in battle, either physical

Campbell defines the ultimate boons as “when a hero sets out on the journey, it is because there is some problem. The ultimate boon is the solution to the problem. The hero is able, through to procure this magic remedy and to solve the problem. Ree’s complication is “huntin[g for her] Dad” (89). Due to her father's disappearance, her and her family are left substandard conditions if he does not attend for the court session. However, Ree’s ultimate boon is to prove Jessup is “dead. That [would] sure [e]nough turn things around. Dead men can [not] be expected to show in court” (127). Therefore, Ree would not be without a roof over her family’s head. Proving Jessup's death would make all of their difficulties vanish. In spite of that, Ree needs to be determined to prove that her “dad’s dead…If Dad did wrong, dad has paid. But [Ree] can [not] forever carry both… them boys [and] Mom…not…without that house to help” (134). With Ree’s courageous actions of entering Hawkfall to seek out this information on her father’s death leads Ree to her “magic remedy” to solve her problem. The women that abused her leads her to where her dead father is kept. Ree is aware that some how she needs to prove the death of her father to keep her home, and cuts his hand off to show the police. With this evidence, her father’s ”hands brought sorrow and a blessing” (187), and were the solution to all of

This is described “as the hero tries to return the hero may find herself in a difficult situation that looks like the end of the hero’s quest. Just when things look bleak, someone comes to rescue the hero so she can finish the journey.” This person that comes to the rescue is Uncle Teardrop, Jessup Dolly’s brother who is a daunting and intimidating character. When Ree arrives at Hawkfall she takes on more than she can handle and is almost physically attacked to the point of death. It is not until Teardrop comes to her rescue and and exclaims that Ree is his “niece, and she [is] near about all the close family I got left, so [he] be collectin[g] her now and carryin[g] her on out of here to home… If she does wrong, [the people in Hawkfall] can put it on” (137), him. Without Teardrop saving Ree from this danger who knows if she would have ever made it home. Teardrop has Ree’s back and threatens the ones that have hurt her by stating that “If anybody lays even just one finger on that girl ever again, they better have shot [him] first” (138), because he will go after them. Teardrop’s fearless manner allows him to make a well rounded team with Ree on her journey to find her father. He helps Ree on the areas she is weak, like fighting off a crowd of brutal individuals, even though she “ took that beatin[g] good as most men [he has] seen” (148). Due to Teardrop saving her, she is able to