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52. Mad Dog’s Tale
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 attends an art exhibit, which she has to pay 10 cents to attend. She uses her last dime to get in. She could have paid by donating a book to the library instead, but the only book she owns is her mother’s book of poetry, which she wants to keep. The exhibit is full of beautiful landscapes from the Panhandle, as well as paintings depicting daily life in the region. Billie Jo loves the exhibit and is sad when it is over.
Like the cereus plant and the apple tree, this art exhibit is a quiet and transient moment of beauty. The paintings are a reminder of what the Panhandle once was prior to the Dust Bowl, as well as what they could be again. Billie Jo’s choice to pay to see the paintings highlights how much she craves relief—in the short-term by viewing the paintings, but also in the long-term as she hopes that the Panhandle returns to its former glory.
Themes
