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«Out of the Dust» is a touching and tragic tale written by Karen Hesse which tells the story of the childhood of a girl named Billie Jo. She lives in Oklahoma Panhandle with her family and experiences the hardships and cruelty of life. Billie Jos mother and brother die in a tragic accident, the blame for which she takes upon herself and the father. In the end, she can finally let go of the guilt and come back to her family and continue living. The essay analyzes the storys moments that have influenced Billie Jo and parallel with my own experience.
Billie Jos life is full of tragedy and sadness, but the one thing that always brought her joy was playing the piano. Unfortunately, after the tragedy has struck and Billie Jos mother had died, she could not play the piano. The one reason for it was her burned hands, which made her feel incomplete. The preventive factor was her guilt, which in her words: [would not let me] hardly stay in the same room with one [piano]. Especially Mas (Hesse, 1997, p. 87). Such a traumatic experience would not allow her to play the piano because Billie Jo felt she took that possibility from her mother. The second significant event in Billie Jos life is when she comes back to the Dust Bowl. After leaving because of the inability to bear the guilt and the place itself, the heroine comes back after realizing the importance of forgiveness. Billie Jo understands she needs her family and finally speaks out loud about the issues that bother her. This results in two understanding each other motives and, as the heroine says, As we walk together, side by side, & I am forgiving myself for all the rest (Hesse, 1997, 208). This moment displays that forgiveness and openness may solve even the most challenging situations, and I find this concept to be very useful and relatable.
There are a couple of moments in the story that are similar to my life. The first event is when Billie Jo played the piano at the Palace. The performance turned out to be good, and the emotional rush she felt reminded me so much of myself: playing notes sharp as tongues, telling stories while the smooth buttery rhythms back me up (Hesse, 1997, p. 13). The passion that Billie Jo has felt is why I love playing the instrument, and makes this moment so relatable. The second event that reminded me of myself is the contest at the Theatre. She displays her determination in this quote: I have a hunger, for more than food& I want tongues to tie, and eyes to shine at me (Hesse, 1997, p. 126). The way she practices her piece multiple times is very similar to mine because to perform well, I always train the hardest.
«Out of the Dust» is an emotional and enlightening story. Throughout the text, the main heroine is experiencing multiple events that change her life. The first one displays guilt for her mothers death, and the second concludes her journey with forgiveness for herself and the father. Billie Jos story also resonated with my personal experiences, such as her performances and preparation. The essay analyzed the events that changed the main heroines life and how some of them were relevant to my life.
References
Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the Dust [PDF document]. Playpen. Web.
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