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20. Beat Wheat
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 mother suggests creating a pond and growing other crops. However, Billie Jo’s father will not hear of it. If he’s going to grow anything, he wants it to be wheat. When Billie Jo’s mother suggests wheat needs too much water, her father says they should get rid of her apple trees if she is worried about water because they require more than any other plant. The suggestion makes Billie Jo’s mother angry. They have a brief spat over who is in charge of the family, which ends with Billie Jo’s mother storming off to take care of the chickens.
Although Billie Jo’s parents try their best, their relationship is not perfect, and their material circumstance adds to—or perhaps creates more—arguments. Here, Billie Jo’s mother knows her apple trees are not a pragmatic solution to the family’s problems, but their vitality and life is a symbol of hope that allows her to keep going. Ultimately, nothing gets resolved in this scene, as Billie Jo’s life continues deteriorating.
Themes
