How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Stanza)
Quote #4
The price the world would pay for our wheat / was so high / it swelled our wallets / and our heads, / and we bought bigger tractors, / more acres, / until we had mortgages / and rent / and bills / beyond reason, / but we all felt so useful, we didn't notice. (46.1)
Billie Jo's accident isn't the only disaster causing people to feel guilt. According to Miss Freeland, the people of the plains are to blame for the droughts and dust storms because of managing the land irresponsibly. We can infer that having to shoulder the blame only makes the Dust Bowl's conditions a greater burden for its people.
Quote #5
Birdie Jasper claimed / it was all my fault she didn't win, / that the judges were just being nice to a cripple. (69.8)
Oh no she didn't… That's a pretty harsh comment to make about someone who's literally been through the fire and lost everything important to her. We're pretty sure Birdie is just using blame as a disguise for jealousy.
Quote #6
I sat at her piano a long time after I / got back from the church, / imagining / a song for my little brother […] imagining a song for this new baby / who / would not be my father's son. (94.8)
The baby abandoned on the church steps awakens Billie Jo's feelings of guilt at the loss of Franklin, the son her father wanted so badly, as well as the guilt she carries for not being the right gender.