The majority of the plot of Winter's Bone revolves around drug use and production in Rathlin Valley. The drug market varies from infrequent and basic marijuana use to drug labs that provide crack to many people in the valley and its surrounding areas. The drugs labs and dealers in the novel are able to receive an income that may benefit them personally, but the frequent occurrence of arrests mean that the dealers' families are poorly affected by the drug business.
The main example of someone benefitting from the drug market in Rathlin Valley is Jessup. He is well known as a "crank chef" not only in the valley, but in the neighboring towns as well. Ree says that , "[Jessup is] known for never fuckin' up labs nor cookin' bad batches" (Woodrell, 75). Ree also uses her relation to Jessup as a way to extract answers from people when she questions them about his whereabouts. Jessup's high status is the drug community must mean that he benefits financially from his drug production, which is likely the main income for his family. Another indication that the "crank chefs" benefit heavily from their drug production is the fact that there are so many individuals in the business. There would not be heavy involvement in the business, especially with the risk of jail time, if there was not a large market for drugs in the surrounding area.
The pitfalls of drugs in the novel often equal or even outweigh the financial benefits of the individuals who make the drugs. For example, Teardop has been left physically maimed by the events of a drug lab gone wrong, which "had eaten the left ear off his head and burned a savage melted scar down his neck to the middle of his back" (Woodrell, 23). Teardop had also done significant jail time as a result of making and selling drugs. His absence from the community while being in jail would not only leave his business without its leader, but also would negatively impact his family.
These pitfalls do not only fall onto those who are making or using the drugs in the novel, but often the secondary effects that extend to their families as well. An example of this kind of secondary effect is the fear that Red has of losing her home because of her father's role as a crank chef. Ree says that if this happens, she and her family will be forced, "to live in the fields...like dogs" (Woodrell, 134). So, while Jessup loses his life due to his actions, he also puts his family in jeopardy, who have no part in the drug business.
It’s very interesting hearing drugs characterized as potentially a positive but it makes sense in the case of the Ozarks. Almost every character in the novel is involved in the sale or production of meth which seems to be the center of the economy. It is interesting to also see that there hasn’t been any deviation from this underground economy and meth seems to always have been the main source of income. This may be because people like Ree who have the ambition and determination to escape the cycle seem to leave and leave the Ozarks as it is.
ReplyDeleteI would argue however that the drug use, while seemingly beneficial for the community, has done much more to stifle the growth of the community. Everyone in Rathlin Valley has only known meth and drugs as a very normal and typical way of life. There seems to be no escape for them and even the escape options aren’t very great either. You can see how the distrust that comes along with the drug business has also torn apart the community as Ree is beaten within an inch of her life. Even in the end Ree has the opportunity to run, take her money and join the military but her care for her brothers keeps her home. While this is very caring of Ree, she also doesn’t have a choice if she wants her brothers to be successful outside of the drug industry. She is also put in this position because of her father’s death and the trauma that her mother has suffered, all stemming from drugs. It seems that the drug economy of Rathlin Valley has done an excellent job of feeding the community with enough positives that they ignore the bad. Very reminiscent of how drugs work in general.
Drugs within Winter’s Bone serve as currency and as a coping mechanism. It seems as though most of the characters' lives are either impacted by drugs or are surrounded by drugs. Besides the dealers or users, crack contributes negatively to other characters’ lives. Ree is one of those characters. She falls victim to her father’s criminal activities, when her home is put up for bond. While this is not a direct result of Jessup dealing drugs, it is a result from his arrest for selling. Ree being put into the position to raise her two brothers and take care of her mother is more than enough responsibility for a sixteen-year-old girl but being forced to have the responsibility of saving her house beyond reasonable. All parties besides Jessup have no active participation in the crack business. This is the main depiction of how drugs influence bystanders negatively in the book. Another drug that makes a common appearance is marijuana. When comparing marijuana and crack, marijuana does not seem to be an evil substance for the characters. This is demonstrated through Ree’s willingness to smoke marijuana, despite wanting nothing to do with crack after her father’s actions. Ree does this as a form of stress relief and as an outlet. It is not depicted as negatively as crack in the book, and as a result it is not viewed as poorly by the characters.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship the characters in Winter’s Bone have with drugs is both parasitic and
ReplyDeletesymbiotic. There is no way they would be able to have a steady income without the existence of
“crank”, but yet it is also what holds everyone back from moving forward to better things.
Obviously the economic industry relies on the drug dealing business, but people also have
become so intertwined with it that they need it to survive. The most prevalent example of this is
through Ree’s mom, and the reliance she has on drugs due to her mental health issues.
An interesting point in this post is that the pitfalls of drugs still dangerously impact those
who try their best to stay as far away from it as possible. Ree doesn’t touch drugs (other than
marijuana) when she has the choice, but she arguably is as impacted by their prevalence as the
“crank chefs” themselves are. Part of her decision to find her father so that their house isn’t taken
is rooted in the fear that she might have to succumb to the culture that defines the rest of the
Ozarks: drugs. She does not want to further the drug problem, especially for her family, but it is
latched onto her like a parasite.