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Ree’s Tapes
Just as the Dolly clan’s ancestors worked as moonshine makers and runners, its current members are cooks and dealers of crystal meth, or crank, as it’s referred to throughout the novel. The street name, crank, represents the wired state of mind it induces in its users; every time a character in the novel uses crank, the tension and sense of imminent danger ramps up immediately. Ree is constantly surrounded not just by manufacturers of the drug but users of it, and her refusal to become a user differentiates her from the vast majority of her friends and relatives. Throughout the novel, crystal meth represents a few different things: a sign of both the physical and moral decay of the community Ree and her family are a part of, a narrative shorthand for or indicator of impending violence, and a symbol of the ways in which the heart of the trades and secrets of the Ozarks remain unchangeable.
Crystal Meth / Crank Quotes in Winter’s Bone
The Winter’s Bone quotes below all refer to the symbol of Crystal Meth / Crank. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
“He cooks crank.”
“Honey, They all do now. You don’t even need to say it out loud.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Crystal Meth / Crank Symbol Timeline in Winter’s Bone
The timeline below shows where the symbol Crystal Meth / Crank appears in Winter’s Bone. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...tells Ree that her father is out of jail on bond. “You know he cooks crank, don’t you,” Baskin asks, and Ree responds by telling the officer that those are only...
(full context)
Chapter 5
...a “nightmare” to look at, according to Ree, and a frightening figure as well. A crank chef and the victim of a blown meth lab, Teardrop is intimidating and disfigured, with...
(full context)
...the kitchen table, there is a pistol, a bag of marijuana, and a bag of crank. Ree explains her dire situation to Victoria, and tells her that they need to “run...
(full context)
...grabs her by the hair and shakes her. He releases her, takes the bag of crank from the kitchen table, and retreats to his room. Victoria follows. After a few minutes,...
(full context)
Chapter 6
...and that in the past he often got himself into serious trouble. Once, high on crank, he’d gotten shot in the chest. Rather than driving to the hospital, he’d driven to...
(full context)
Chapter 10
...father is, but has never spoken with him. Ree tells Megan that Jessup is a crank chef; Megan replies that “they all [are] now.”
(full context)
As they approach Little Arthur’s house, Megan warns Ree: “if he’s been runnin’ on crank for a day or two, you should just leave.” Little Arthur opens the door, and...
(full context)
Chapter 14
...that her father was known for never blowing up labs or cooking bad batches of crank. Milton insists that accidents happen.
(full context)
...of them to live with Blond Milton. Ree tells him that she knows the blown meth lab was a distraction, meant to shut her up and throw her off the trail...
(full context)
Chapter 20
...well have the money from the sale of the land to herself. Teardrop offers Ree crank, asking if she has “the taste” for it yet. Ree refuses, and Teardrop leaves, remembering...
(full context)
Chapter 26
...gives Ree a shotgun to hold “for if they come.” He pulls a baby-bottle of crank from the glove box and snorts from it. He tells Ree that she “owns” him...
(full context)
Chapter 32
...Teardrop helps Ree into his truck and together they drive off. Teardrop is high on crank and agitated; he’s tired, he says, of waiting around for something to happen. Ree takes...
(full context)
Chapter 35
...money, he can help her earn some. Ree tells Teardrop that she will never touch crank. “There’s other stuff to do, too, if you’ll do it,” Teardrop says.
(full context)
