Out of the Dust Character Analysis

Billie Jo's Life

FIRST TOPIC

It shows that the story of Billie Jo's Kelby, a 14- year old girl with musical talent living in Oklahoma during the dust bowl. Billie Jo Kelby is the strong and courageous protagonist, or main character, of the Novel. She is 14 years old when the story begins, tall and slender, with red hair and freckles, and she loves apples.

SECOND TOPIC

Bayard Kelby (Daddy)

THIRD TOPIC

Bayard Kelby, Billie Jo's dad, is your textbook 1930s farmer. We're talking tough, weathered, hardworking, and committed times may be challenging, but no matter how bad the drought gets, he's not.

Aunt Ellis

FOURTH TOPIC

Ellis exepct that neither Daddy nor Billie jo living with her when she offers to take her in, and that she lives in lubbock, Texas, not far from the panhandle.Evidently there was major sibling conflict when Daddy and Ellis were growing up, and he's concerned about how she would treat his daughter.

Sheriff Roberstone

Twenty one TOPIC

The head local law enforcement official, Sheriff Robertson handles the situation with the illegal still on the Cimarron River. He gives the thousand pounds of sugar discovered there to Miss Freeland and tells her to make something good out of the incident by baking goodies for the kids. Some of the treats involve apples, which gets Billie Joe pretty fired up.

Country Agent Dewey

SIXTHTOPIC

Dewey is the main law enforcement official for Cimarron County. It's his job to keep tabs on the dust bowl situation, as well as deal with any problems that might arise. Early in the book, he's the one who informs Daddy of the poor forecast for the wheat harvest; he also takes the responsibility for shooting Joe De La Flor's cattle when they are starving to death.Dewey takes the low state of the region extremely seriously, but his dealing with Joe's cattle demonstrates obvious compassion for both the county's people and animals.

Buddy Willliams

FIFTH TOPIC

Buddy's a hard worker and is obviously broken about not being able to provide for his family, especially given his wife's condition. It's clear that moving into the classroom is an act of desperation for him—he states that "the dust blew so mean" (63.5) the night before that sleeping in the car like they're used to wasn't going to cut it.Buddy Williams is the patriarch of the migrant family that takes up residence in Miss Freeland's classroom during part five. His wife, who's expecting a baby, two children, and either his or his wife's mother accompanies him.

Doc rice

SeventhTOPIC

Doc Rice is the classic country doctor who attends to all the citizens' needs, no matter how big or small. He plays a particularly important role for the Kelby family, as he not only cares for Billie Jo and Ma after their accident, but also cuts out Daddy's cancer and advises Billie Jo to do more with her hands to help them heal.

Arley Wanderdable

Eighth tOPIC

Arley meets Billie Jo giving music lessons at her school, and understandably, he's pretty blown away by her talent. He even invites her, a fourteen year old, to perform with his band, the Black Mesa Boys, at some professional gigs and go on tour.

Doc Rice

Ninth TOPIC

Doc Rice is the classic country doctor who attends to all the citizens' needs, no matter how big or small. He plays a particularly important role for the Kelby family, as he not only cares for Billie Jo and Ma after their accident, but also cuts out Daddy's cancer and advises Billie Jo to do more with her hands to help them heal.

The drifter

tenth TOPIC

When he first gets into the car, it's clear this guy's been through the ringer—he stinks, is covered with train soot and dirt, and looks completely worn down by life. We learn as he talks to Billie Jo that he, like Daddy, is a struggling farmer.

Haydon p.Nye

elenenth TOPIC

Haydon P. Nye is a prominent local farmer who dies during the winter of 1935. He had quite a history with the Panhandle region during his life, having profited from the land's crops during the war.

Joe De La Flor

twelve TOPIC

While he's joyful about his work as a rancher and loves the land, we first meet him when he's just about as bad off as everyone else. On Billie Jo's way to the store, she sees Joe in the midst of a cloud of dust, seeming "dazed" by it, his cattle "rib-thin" from the drought.

Lousie

thirteen TOPIC

The Other Woman. The Wicked Stepmother. The Second Wife. Women who get hitched to previously married men often get some pretty bad stereotypes thrown at them, but fortunately Louise, Daddy's lady friend and future wife at the end of the book, seems like she'll be the one who gives stepmamas a better name.

Mad Dog Craddock

fourteen TOPIC

With his good looks, sultry crooning voice, and crowd-pleasing personality, Mad Dog Craddock's got everything it takes to become the 1930s version of Michael Buble. He's definitely got Arley Wanderdale's attention… and Billie Jo's too. While the Oklahoma panhandle isn't the first place you might look for stellar talent, this farm boy's definitely going places.

Livie Killian

fiften TOPIC

While only a minor character in an early chapter in the book, Billie Jo's best friend, Livie, plays an important role in foreshadowing the hard times to come for the town. Her family goes to California, and while no reasons for leaving are given at first, we eventually come to understand that they're going to find work after the drought's devastation of the land.

Miss Freeland

sixteen TOPIC

Miss Freeland is that teacher who always seems to be the voice of reason. Early in the book, when Mr. Noble and Mr. Romney are in the middle of their rabbit-killing feud, she explains how the drought has disrupted the rabbits' eating patterns (2.2). She also offers a detailed explanation of how the Dust Bowl's conditions came to be and why the town is suffering (46.1)—pretty much whenever there's a historical explanation needed for what's going on, it usually comes from her. In this way, she's a fount of information for both Billie Jo and us as readers. Go Miss Freeland.

Mr. harldy

seventeen TOPIC

Mr. Hardly is the shopkeeper of the town general store. While he runs a good establishment, some of his business is a little bit funny, as he charges too much for substandard goods and often cheats his customers and shorts them on change when handling money.

Mrs. love

Mrs. Love is a government worker for Federal Emergency Relief Association who helps those affected by the Depression and Dust Bowl conditions find work and get back on their feet.

Eighteen TOPIC

Pete Guymon

nineteen TOPIC

Pete Guymon is a local deliveryman for Mr. Hardly's store who dies of dust pneumonia, demonstrating that the dust storms kill more than just crops and animals.

Revered Bingham

twenty TOPIC

Reverend Bingham is the local pastor who presides over Ma and Franklin's funeral. Preaching at anyone's memorial service can't be an easy job, but Billie Jo isn't too thrilled with the treatment he gives Ma and her brother. "I could tell he never truly knew her," she says of the service. "He'd never even heard her play piano" (38.3). It's a bit of a bummer, for sure.

Vera Wanderable

Twenty two TOPIC

Arley's wife, Vera, is his partner in his music ventures and is quite the vocal talent herself. It's partly because of her that Billie Jo is allowed to go on tour with the Black Mesa Boys early in the story, as she provides the female influence Ma wants to "keep an eye on" (28.2) Billie Jo.