In the movie Coal Miner's Daughter, the character pictured above advises Doolittle Lynn, "If you're born in the mountains, you've got three choices: coal mine; moonshine; or Get on down the line...."
The early part of this story describes, and reflects, aspects of life in rural Kentucky in the post-World War II era. Doolittle is back from the Army, and Loretta Webb is just shy of 14 years old when they meet.
There's a kind of depressive atmosphere to some extent - a feeling that these people are oppressed and they believe they can't get out from under the system that oppresses them.
In one scene Loretta is at home with her parents and siblings. Her mother takes a few moments to "read" some tea leaves at the bottom of a cup. She tells her husband, "Bad times is a-comin'" and he replies, "Well, we don't need no fortune-teller to know that."
Pessimism.
Superstition.
Coal mine; moonshine; or get on down the line.
The viewer might think, "Be more optimistic; encourage one another; get a plan. This is America, where anything is possible!" - But then also, maybe generational poverty and a local economy with few opportunities does a number on people, and society, that we don't fully understand if we aren't sociologists....
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