Nirvana's 'heart shaped box'

The establishing shot of the video is of a dieing man in a hospital bed with the three band members sitting on chairs by the side of the bed. One noticeable symbol in the room is a black cross on the floor coming out of the bed. With the dieing man in bed having long brown hair and a beard it's clearly a symbol of Jesus and the crucifix. Another noticeable factor is the stream of light that comes through the curtains and falls on the main singer Kurt Cobain. And with Kurt Cobain's blonde long hair the light makes him appear angelic. This all may be linked to the next scene which may appear like a dream, where by the old man is now dressed Jesus and is next to a crucifix. The mise en scene shows a field of red poppeys and with a clear blue sky that all seems quite tranquil other than the crucifix, maybe symbolizing heaven with Kurt Cobain 'the angel' being the dead man's guardian angel. However the tranquility is soon overturned as you see the man start to climb up to the crucifix and the sky turns red as kurt cobain and the band start to perform, this maybe symbolising hell.

Within the performance section the camera pulls focus onto kurt Cobain as well as putting him out of focus. This maybe symbolising Cobains confusion and the illusion that all the happenings within the video are day dreams or images within his head as well as a technique used to create a more frantic performance, perhaps reflecting the band's performances. This may also be for audience appeal and to sell the band as a live band.

Throughout the whole video many symbolic images are used and in conjunction with other elements raise questions of representation. Such as the little girl seen throughout the video dressed in the Klu Klux Klan outfit. She is seen looking up at what appears to be lynched fetuses. This may be a way in which Cobain, in an anti-establishment and anti-religious manner, wanted to question Christian views. As the Klu Klux Klan see themselves through the eyes of god and argue their views through the bible. The use of an old man with a Santa clause hat on who appears to be Jesus as he is crucifying himself on the cross may be a symbol of how Christian values and a Christian festival has now become dominated by commercial use with Santa Clause, not St Nicholas, and the giving of presents. So within the music video Christians appear to be represented as a racist and anti abortionist group. However the use of the Klu Klux Klan child may be a symbol and representing the klu klux klan as being naive and stupid highlighting their ignorance symbolised by the little girl looking up emotionlessly at the dying old man, now wearing a bishops hat, as well as skipping past in a child like manner. The use of the fetus is also used within the drip for the old man as the girl's outfit turns black, symbolising the mans death.

The music video appears to want to argue against Christian values and Christian views much going with the genre of the band from which many anti establishment and anti religious are expressed through lyrics.