Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Out of the Dust, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Nature, Survival, and the Dust Bowl
Poverty, Charity, and Community
Coming of Age
Family and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Whenever Louise comes over for dinner, she and Billie Jo go on a walk together after they eat while Billie Jo’s father does the dishes. He leaves a bit of the cleaning up to Billie Jo, which irritates her, but not too much. At this point, Billie Jo has learned more about Louise. Louise was her father’s night school teacher. She is relatively young, and she never married before. In fact, she was not interested in love until meeting Billie Jo’s father.
Billie Jo’s household is not perfect, but it is much better now that Louise is around. In addition to having a maternal figure around to help run the home, Billie Jo also has someone she can talk to and share her feelings with. Louis is also willing to open up to Billie Jo and share her past, which makes Billie Jo trust and understand her.
Themes
Billie Jo recalls the Thanksgiving she spent with Louise and her father. To be respectful, Louise did not make cranberry sauce, though she made a feast for Billie Jo and her father. After the meal, Billie Jo slept while Louise and her father visited her mother’s grave. At the grave, Billie Jo’s father explained his intentions with Louise to Billie Jo’s mother. According to Billie Jo, “Ma’s bones didn’t object. Neither did mine.”
Louise does not make cranberry sauce because she does not want it to seem like she is replacing Billie Jo’s mother. Because Louise is careful to ensure Billie Jo sees her as her own person rather than as a replacement mother, Billie Jo warms to Louise quickly and ultimately accepts her into her life.
Themes
