Out of the Dust Art and Culture Quotes

Billie Jo's love for playing music is one of the defining traits of her character, and this first mention of her talent in the book demonstrates how much of a part of her it is. See the words fondness and hunger? They're sort of reversed—you would expect someone to have a fondness for music and a hunger for apples. The point here is that for her, music is a life-sustaining force; just as people can't live without food, she can't live without playing piano.

Billie Jo's description of playing at the Palace Theater illustrates the energy and enthusiasm that comes from performing, from the word choice to the short, broken lines that spread across the page. The opening chapter tells us of the importance of piano in Billie Jo's life, but it's not until this scene of her concert that we actually get a sense of just how important it is. It's also obvious that she's pretty good too.

And that, Shmoopsters, is where it all began: Ma passing her musical legacy down to her daughter. For Billie Jo, music is deeply rooted not just in her love for playing, but the connection it has to her mother. This probably explains why she has a love/hate relationship with playing after Ma is gone.

The arts in this story aren't just focused on Billie Jo's talent—they also symbolize how little she knows of the world and how deeply she wants to know more. When Miss Freeland appears in Madame Butterfly, Billie Jo is disturbed to learn that Mad Dog, who's a farm kid himself, knows something about music that she doesn't. While some of this could point to the rivalry they share over the course of the book, it also demonstrates Billie Jo's desire to escape her sheltered life and see more of what the world has to offer.

Throughout the book, music becomes not just a passion for the characters, but a source of escape from their hard life. Specifically, going on tour with Arley lets Billie Jo see new places, be with others who love playing music, and get away from her tense home environment where the farm's failing and everyone's anxiously awaiting the baby's arrival.

There's that word again: hunger. This time though, it's not associated with music. When the library holds its art exhibit, Billie Jo is taken in by the variety of paintings on display. She goes to see it three times, and in many ways it has the same escapist value that playing music does. When the exhibit ends though, she falls into a depression, wishing she could be around such culture all the time. Like the Madame Butterfly incident with Mad Dog, it's another reminder of her restlessness with home.

For Daddy, music is a private way to release his pain. He does it quietly, almost as if he's trying to hide it. Maybe he gets tired of trying to stay strong and lets himself reminisce about the music that was once in the house.

Billie Jo's decision to enter the Palace talent contest reveals that she hasn't lost all hope—she wants to prove that she can still play piano, both to those who think the accident has washed her up and to herself. While winning third prize affirms her ability, the accident and Ma's absence still hover over her accomplishment in the form of the pain in her hands.

Because we only get a very narrow window of life in the Panhandle from Billie Jo's perspective, it's difficult to see the impact music and art have on the townspeople. Mad Dog's performance from Amarillo on the radio, though, is one moment where the dust and hard times disappear and everyone gets to celebrate a local boy making good on music.

The healing process Daddy and Billie Jo go through ultimately returns music to its rightful place in their home. Ma would surely be proud of Billie Jo for deciding to return to playing piano, as well as welcoming Louise as a new member of the family.