Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
When babies show up on the scene, get ready for them to trigger a lot of memories. Because of Ma and Franklin, babies carry a pungent sting for Billie Jo—they represent deep, and penetrating loss for her.
In total, Out of the Dust features three babies: Franklin, the Williams baby born in Miss Freeland's classroom, and the baby abandoned on the front steps of the church (94.1). In the case of the Williams baby and the abandoned baby, Billie Jo instantly bonds with the tiny creatures, even chasing after the Williamses' car as they leave the school, and asking Daddy if they can adopt the baby from the church.
In spite of her painful memories, though, Billie Jo is still able to see the beauty and promise in new life. "I study how fine that baby girl is," Billie Jo says of the Williamses' baby. "How perfect, / and that she is wearing a feed-sack nightgown that / was my brother's" (65.2). While babies always serve as a reminder of what Billie Jo lost in the accident, they also work as a reminder that life continues to go on in spite of the pain she still struggles with.