How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Stanza)
Quote #4
I couldn't watch at dawn, / when the flower, / touched by the first finger of morning light, / wilted and died. / I couldn't watch / as the tender petals burned up in the sun. (45.5)
Going to see the night-blooming plant is a real treat for Billie Jo, but she knows what will eventually happen to the flower when morning comes. Death is surrounding her life to such a degree that she can't bear to see the plant die.
Quote #5
They buried Haydon Nye on his land, / busted more sod to lay his bones. / Will they sow wheat on his grave, / where the buffalo / once grazed? (58.6)
Haydon Nye's death is kind of ironic. He dedicates his entire life to farming the land through good times and bad, only to be buried in the land itself. His story demonstrates that mortality is inescapable and eventually comes full-circle.
Quote #6
A couple of hours ago, / Pete Guymon died. (74.3)
As if it isn't bad enough that the dust tears up crops, destroys the vegetation for Joe De La Flor's cows, and makes everything pretty messy in general, it also literally kills people. Pete Guymon's death from dust pneumonia reveals the detrimental effects the dust has not only on the mental and emotional state of the people, but their health as well.