‘’The role and status allocated to males or females can be central to understanding the
cultural context of a text.’’ Show how this statement might apply to one text on your
course.
I strongly believe that the above statement applies to the general society presented in
‘’Winter’s Bone’’, an award-winning film directed by Debra Granik. In my eyes, the roles and
status adopted by both males and females is significant throughout the film and allows us to
gain a deeper insight into the cultural context.
Set in an impoverished isolated community in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, Granik’s
film shows us the harsh realities of mountain life while incorporating various elements of
survival, which dictate how the Ozark people behave while carefully filling their roles in
society. From the beginning, it is apparent that men are dominant and controlling. We see
this when Teardrop uses violence against Ree while she seeks help from him in order to find
her father, Jessup. The aggression and ferocity of Teardrop speaks to the imbalance of
power and dearth of respect not just between men and women in general but between
elder and younger members of the Dolly clan. Men clearly have greater social status and
women are expected to be obedient to their husband’s whilst fulfilling matriarchal roles.
Despite the fact that 'Winter's Bone' is generally about family values and injustice, I believe
the cultural context is primarily about poverty and social exclusion. This is where the reader
might begin to identify similarities between other texts on the comparative course. Ree's
poverty and lack of resources obstruct her search for Jessup, allowing the people with
greater status to do whatever they want with her. Due to her social isolation and her
matriarchal role, her neighbours suggest that they take her siblings away from her, implying
that she is a nobody in the town and should not be trusted with young children.
Although the women of Ozark lack power and are suppressed by the patriarchal society,
they are still capable of consolidating power through the use of violence which is central to
the overall cultural context. For instance, the Thump women don’t even offer Ree an
opportunity to explain herself while she arrives at their place, instead, they resort
immediately to an almost methodical violence, having warned her previously that her return
or her continued investigation would be most unwelcome, and so simply acting as they feel
they must. It’s also interesting that this central act of violence is perpetrated entirely by
women against a woman, speaking again to the power of women in this society that is on
the surface very patriarchal, but also showing how that power is not always a positive or
supportive one.
Conclusively, the inequal and unjust roles of men and women do indeed affect our
understanding of the cultural context in the world of ‘’Winter’s Bone’’. The dominant
fashion of the men contrasted with the subservience of women allows us to explore the
secrets of the Ozark community. It also helps us in our learning of what they value, including
the importance of family and money, which is so sought after due to the widespread
poverty causing everyday life to be a struggle for everyone.