The piano is arguably the most precious object in this novel. It's a key element in Billie Jo's life, and it represents her Ma, her yearnings for freedom and her acceptance of herself.
While the dishes don't seem too important in the big picture, the fact that Ma puts the dishes on the table upside down so they don't get dust in them indicates the level to which the dust permeates every part of their lives.
A never-ending obstruction to a good life, the dust is an obstacle to everything Billie Jo yearns for.
Joyce City is the town near the farm where Billie Jo lives. While she doesn't say much about it, the reader gets the impression that it is a small and very old pioneer town, not much different from when it.....
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