Winter's Bone: Love Unspoken

While the primary character in the film Winter’s Bone, Ree Dolly, was a strong character, I found the character of Teardrop to be equally compelling. There are numerous scenes where we are given little glimpses of Teardrop’s personality. The film continues to build on the idea of what a man in this rural area has had to become in order to survive. The scene I found most revealing about Teardrop’s character was the last scenes of the movie. Teardrop started off as an unapproachable and threatening character at the beginning of the film and progressed to a man with unspoken affection towards his brother’s children. Teardrop’s character shows how sometimes love can be shown through small actions and not words. He brings the children chicks to care for as a peace offering for the wrong he has done in the past and as a condolence for the loss of their father. The children then offer him their father’s banjo as a symbol of the life that he once knew where he could have a loving family who welcomed him in without judgment. After the kindness he is shown by the children, he is deeply saddened by the fact that he has learned who killed his brother. This is an issue because it means that his life will also be cut short and the children will once again be left alone with no one to protect them from the growing violence of their society. When he leaves without speaking another word, it is known that there is a private knowledge between Ree and Teardrop. They, Teardrop and Ree, know that he may never be seen again but he knows he did the right thing by letting them know that he did care. He finally made peace with his family.