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4. Me and Mad Dog
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 picks the right moment to ask her mother about playing piano at the Palace Theatre. While her mother is cooking dinner and a little distracted, she asks if she can play in a way that is just annoying enough for her mother to say yes. She is careful not to be too annoying because she knows that her mother will say no if she is. Luckily, she strikes the right balance, and her mother agrees to let her play. Billie Jo wonders if her mother is extra distracted because of the baby growing inside of her.
Billie Jo strategizes the best way to get her mother to say yes. Her willingness to do so implies that this opportunity means a lot to her and shows how well she knows her mother. Evidently, Billie Jo has asked similar things of her mother before and has found both success and rejection. Additionally, as Billie Jo suggests, her mother likely has her mind on other things; namely her second child.
Themes
