Southern Gothic story abounds with lots of Pre-Raphaelite imagery, and too many snakes to shake a stick at. Dakota's character is filmed in many Pre-Raphaelite shots, and she has that sense of calm longing on her face that has been made popular by the Pre-Raphaelites. In contrast, two of her main antagonists, her Grammie and her father, appear as Medieval country bumpkins in their last scene with her. It's pretty clear, there is a sub-textual analogy to the Renaissance and the Dark Ages, here. During her rape, one of Dakota's hands are pierced with a nail. This obvious Christ-like reference is strengthened later, when she appears in bed, with her white underwear bunched and puffy, as if in swaddling clothes, or even a Christ mounted in contorted agony on the cross. Snakes infest her garden of Eden. They are everywhere. The only way to survive being bitten is too spit the poison out, which she does metaphorically, when she takes a deep breathe and belts out the Blues. Visually, this Southern eden is filmed claustrophobic-ally. Besides tall grass and bushes, even the very trees work together to obscure the sun. Some have praised the Blues players as the light in Dakota's world. One reviewer rightly suggests this is patronizing, a stereotype of the magical Negroes in Vagger Bance? In any event, they free Dakota from this wicked Eden. By the way, Dakota's character is no Saint but a survivor. She knowingly lets her father be killed by not warning him about a snake.
