Thinking back about the opening shots of the film and what we were talking about in class on Thursday, it is neat to think about the juxtaposition of the still, cold images of the barren landscape with Bell's monologue about how the oldtimers would have handled themselves if in the same situation. Not only does this set the tone for the rest of the story and the events to follow, but also provides quite an interesting commentary on human nature. It seems to suggest that the land never changes, the world never changes, only the people in it. Much like Shakespeare's famous phrase which says all the world is a stage, and we in it are merely players--the Coen brothers seem to be giving a similar take--life is a stage, and it is whatever we make of it, or possibly even what it makes of us.