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 thinks about how bitter she has become because of her circumstances. She is depressed about her mother and feels her father no longer loves her. She knows there was a time when things were different between her and her father, but that time is long gone. Mostly, she feels invisible to him. Now, he spends his time digging his pond, which Billie Jo thinks is actually his grave. Billie Jo believes her father plans to turn to dust and leave her behind. She wants to make sure she is gone before that can happen.
Because Billie Jo’s father does not care about his life, Billie Jo does not see why she should either. If he dies, he will leave her on her own and she will be forced to fend for herself. Given the likelihood of this outcome, Billie Jo would rather leave the Panhandle on her own terms than watch her father and her community slowly self-destruct.
Themes
