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
Billie Jo’s father leaves a bucket of kerosene near the stove, which her mother mistakes for water while making coffee. The result is an inferno in the kitchen. Billie Jo’s mother runs outside and calls for Billie’s Jo’s father to help her put the fire out. Meanwhile, Billie Jo grabs the bucket, which is still on fire, and chucks it out the door. Unfortunately, the oil in the bucket hits her mother as she returns and turns her into “a column of fire.” Billie Jo pushes her mother to the ground and tries to save her and the baby. Billie Jo does the best she can, but her mother gets terrible burns. Billie Jo herself also suffers terrible burns.
As bad as Billie Jo’s circumstances were, this moment flips her whole life upside down. It is a sudden and shocking accident that leaves the fate of Billie Jo’s mother and her unborn child in question. The accident occurs because of two mistakes—one made by Billie Jo, and one made by her father. These mistakes will haunt Billie Jo and her father for the rest of the novel, as they try to recover from what happened.
Themes
