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
Someone leaves a baby on the steps of the church in Joyce City. Because no one knows who it belongs to, Reverend Bingham takes it to Doc Rice. Doc Rice looks the baby over and says it is fine. For the time being, Reverend Bingham and his wife take the child in. Everyone all over town brings the child food, clothes, and other useful supplies.
As always, the community responds with as much charity as it can. However, raising a child is such a hostile environment is a difficult ask even for the most charitable person. Most people already have far less than they require to meet their basic needs.
Themes
Billie Jo asks her father if they can adopt the baby. However, he does not think it is a good idea and tells her they do not stand a chance anyway. When he sees Billie Jo is disappointed, he gets out a box of clothes Billie Jo’s mother made for Franklin and tells her she should donate them. Billie Jo goes through the box and sees that it also contains the money she made from playing the piano with Arley. After donating the clothes, Billie Jo sits at her piano and imagines writing a song for her baby brother and every other child who never received a fair chance in life.
Billie Jo desperately wants her family to feel normal and hopeful. She thinks a baby could provide a fresh start for her and her father. However, her father knows the cost of attempting to raise a child in their current position. He can barely take care of the child he currently has; there is no way he could raise a baby. As such, Billie Jo does the best she can to support the child from afar.
Themes
