How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Stanza)
Quote #4
"Most everyone's heard of Madame Butterfly," / Mad Dog says. / How does that / singing plowboy know something I don't? / And how much more is out there / most everyone else has heard of / except me? (22.3-4)
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.
Quote #5
When I'm with Arley's boys we forget the dust. / We are flying down the road in Arley's car / singing. (28.4)
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.
Quote #6
But now the exhibit is gone, / the paintings / stored away in spare rooms / or locked up / where no one can see them. / I feel such a hunger / to see such things. / And such an anger / because I can't. (33.3)
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.