How does this novel fit in within the genre of Southern Gothic literature? How does the novel articulate themes similar to those in the work of Faulkner or Cormac McCarthy? 

The natural world plays a fundamental role in the novel. What role does the environment play in Ree’s physical and emotional journey? Why does Woodrell create a world at once beautiful and harsh, and how does that correspond to other themes within the novel? 

How does Ree’s journey correspond to the journeys of other classic literary figures? For instance, how does Ree’s journey mimic that of the mythical Odysseus, Antigone, or King Lear? How does the Ozark environment influence this mythical structure?