Billie Jo and her mom had a close relationship at the beginning of the book whereas Billie Jo and her father's relationship was more distant. After her mother died, Billie Jo didn't want to build a relationship with her father since she resented him for placing the bucket of kerosene by the stove. Their relationship changes over many events and they grew closer and farther away throughout all of the dust and distress.
The section Winter 1934 is before the accident. On page three, Billie Jo states her father wanted a son instead of a daughter. This makes me think that her father always seemed disappointed in her. Since she picked up on the fact that he didn't want her signifies that they don't have a close relationship. Through the winter part of the book, she mentions her mother more than her father. When she does mention her father it's mostly about growing
…show more content…
After the fire, the mentions of her father increased. She says, “They didn’t talk about my dad leaving the kerosene by the stove. They didn't say a word about my father drinking himself into a stupor” (Hesse 71). This tells me that everyone is blaming the father for the accident that happened. This worsens Billie Jo’s relationship with her father even more since her father is now seen as an enemy. In the next few seasons, her and her dad's relationship does not improve. With the dust getting harder to manage Billie Jo is overwhelmed by how fast everything is moving.
In the sections Summer and Autumn, 1935 Billie Jo and her father start becoming closer. After she ran away and came home again she had a special moment with her father. In the chapter named “Met” she and her father meet at the train station and at the end, she thinks “As we walk together, side by side, in the swell of dust, forgiving him, step by step, for the pail of kerosene. As we walk together, side by side, in the sole-deep dust, I am forgiving myself for all the rest.” (Hesse