Ree's Naivety

“Ree reached for the steaming cup, smiling, and said, ‘I’m not really—‘ And the world flushed upside down in her eyes while her ears rang and she staggered, then the world flushed again and again and she stumbled” (129). 

Ree’s second interaction with women at Thump Milton’s house depicts her naivety and suggests the countless additional struggles she faces in her search for her father because of her youth.  The boundaries her youth sets upon her is detectable in her interactions with everyone she seeks answers from. With Little Arthur, instead of taking no as his answer, she continues to pester him with questions: “You ain’t seen him nowhere since then?” (54).  Her persistence with Little Arthur exemplifies her inability to pick up on the subtleties of her relatives’ warnings.  At Thump Milton’s, Ree does not take his refusal to see her as the subtle explanation of the rules of the Dollys and, rather, returns again.  Now the question posed to the reader is whether or not the violence of her encounter with Thump Milton’s women will prompt Ree to realize their warning and recognize the rules.  Or will her naivety prevail an inhibit her from recognizing the rules and warnings they are implying.