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32. The Accident
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
At first, Billie Jo does not feel the pain from her burns. Doc Rice arrives and tends to Billie Jo’s mother and then turns his attention to Billie Jo. He cuts strips of burned skin from Billie Jo’s hands and then pokes at then with pins to test her feeling. Then, he applies antiseptic, which causes Billie Jo great pain.
The lack of feeling in Billie Jo’s hands is a bad sign, especially if she lost the feeling in them while attempting to help her mother, who was in a much worse condition.
Themes
