I zero in on one theme: MUD.
Pappy is desperate to maintain some distance from The Other. But he himself is mud as well. He just doesn’t realize it.
I zero in on one theme: MUD. White. Black. No matter. Mud covers those differences in skin color. Nature and its whims does not distinguish between races. And, as the script suggests, neither should we. Ultimately, we are all just muddy characters struggling through life.
Pappy is desperate to maintain some distance from The Other. But he himself is mud as well. He just doesn’t realize it.