Out of the Dust

The theme of hope begins to build even before the tragedy of the kerosene accident in Out of the Dust. In Parts 1 and 2, the drought, dust, and Depression create tragic circumstances for many, but Billie Jo sees or intuits hope in the reactions of her parents, neighbors, and strangers. Her father is ever hopeful that it will rain eventually. In March 1934, he plans to take a government loan to replace the failed winter wheat: “I can turn the fields over, / start again. / It’s sure to rain soon. / Wheat’s sure to grow” (26). Billie Jo wonders how her father can be so certain of a successful crop. Ma tells her the scant rain they get is enough “to keep a person hoping” (27) and that all farmers are full of hope every springtime. Later, even pragmatic, no-nonsense Ma shows her “Hope in a Drizzle” (55) when she undresses and stands outside to wash the dust from her body. Just before the accident, a boy traveling by foot on his own passes through. He heads west, “where rain comes, and the color green doesn’t seem like such a miracle, and hope rises daily, / like sap in a stem” (59).