Winter's Bone

Ree awakens to the sound of knocking at her door. She retrieves her shotgun before opening it and finds Mrs. Thump and her sisters waiting outside. Ree points the shotgun at Mrs. Thump, but Mrs. Thump ignores the threat and tells Ree to come with them so that they can fix Ree’s problems. Ree refuses to lower her gun and threatens Merab, Mrs. Thump, again, reminding Merab that she would have to be crazy to go anywhere with them.

Merab offers to take Ree to her sisters—an offer inspired by the need to put an end to the negative talk among the Dolly clans. Ree silences her misgivings and, unarmed and blindfolded, agrees to go with the sisters. With a sack over her head, Ree is driven to an unnamed location. Though the sisters promised not to harm her, Ree continues to believe they plan to kill her and prepares to meet her death without fear.

Merab removes the sack from Ree’s head and leads her through a wood toward a frozen pond. Once there, Merab points to a willow and tells her that Jessup’s body lies under it, tied down to an engine block. Ree notes that the vista forms a “living grave” (184) for her father.