Imagery of nature
Nature is one of the main images that follow the plot. When Joseph arrives to his ranch he is struck by the luscious nature, fertile forest and meadows all around. The forest is so dense it makes it hard to pass through and Joseph notices large trees that resemble muscular limbs. The lush nature is often compared to a woman and the calm of nature compared to a woman's embrace. The nature is seen as a living thing that provides comfort and happiness and life and when nature is dying every living thing is dying along with it.
Imagery of drought
Drought is the biggest enemy, the biggest threat to Joseph and the life he created on his ranch. He is warned at the beginning by the villagers that the place is prone to terrifying droughts that last a long time and make whole life there extinct. Joseph ignores the warning at first but later on he becomes anxious every time rain doesn't fall for a while. With the death of the old oak tree the drought comes and Joseph feels it. The river beds become empty and the green lush nature becomes thin and takes on a sorrowful brown colour. Wild animals are a rare sight except for coyotes and vultures.
Rain imagery
Rain is the source of life and food that feeds the land. With rain Joseph is filled with ecstatic happiness knowing that his land is safe from the enemy of drought; knowing that life there will keep moving forward. Towards the end when the land is struck with the drought the thought of rain is like a miracle that will save the life in the valley of Our Lady from death.
