Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Where the Crawdads Sing, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Survival, Necessity, and Violence
Independence vs. Human Connection
Education, Coming of Age, and Adulthood
Prejudice, Intolerance, and Acceptance
Summary
Analysis
Ten days pass before Kya sees Chase again. This time, she spots him on the beach with his friends, and though her impulse is to run away before he sees her, she doesn’t because of a sense of deep loneliness. As Chase and his friends leave, he spots Kya and circles back to talk to her, apologizing again for what happened between them. He also tells her that he wants to show her the fire tower, taking off in his motorboat as she follows in hers. Once they arrive, they climb the tower and look out over the marshlands—something Kya has never done. As she surveys her home from above, two red-tailed hawks swoop by at eye-level. Chase apologizes once more for what happened, and though she doesn’t respond, she feels a desire to kiss him.
Somewhat surprisingly, Kya finds it within herself to forgive Chase. Or, at the very least, she decides to give him another chance, which isn’t necessarily the same as forgiving him, since she will most likely remember his aggression because this is a way to gauge whether or not he poses a threat to her wellbeing—a calculation she’s used to making because of her finely tuned survival skills. Either way, though, what’s most clear is that Kya’s loneliness is beginning to overwhelm her, ultimately encouraging her to seek out human company even though doing so goes against her better judgment.
Themes
Kya tells Chase that she made a necklace for him, taking it out of her pocket and handing it to him. The necklace has the shell that he found on their picnic on it and is strung with rawhide. Kya originally told herself that she was making the necklace for herself, but now she understands that she was secretly hoping to give it to Chase whenever she got the chance. Self-consciously, she tells him that he doesn’t have to wear it, but he thanks her and puts it on. Chase then asks if Kya will show him her house, so they return to her shack, where he looks at her collection of shells and feathers with a sense of idle, unenthused curiosity. Privately, Chase wonders why Kya would collect things she can see just outside her window, but he doesn’t say this.
It’s odd that Kya makes a keepsake out of the shell that Chase found on their picnic, since doing so ultimately commemorates his insensitivity and lack of regard for what she wants. In this sense, then, the necklace itself serves as a reminder of the kind of person Chase is capable of being, even if he shows Kya kindness in this moment. In keeping with this, the fact that Chase doesn’t understand Kya’s interest in nature underscores the notion that he and Kya are vastly different from one another. All the same, Kya allows him to enter her life because she’s lonely—a testament to just how far people will go to avoid feelings of isolation.
Themes
Chase compliments Kya’s ability to live alone in her shack for so long. Just when she thinks he’s about to kiss her, she asks what exactly he wants with her, and he truthfully answers by saying that he finds her attractive and “free.” However, he acknowledges that he was wrong to come on so strongly, adding that he just wants to spend time with her. He hopes, he says, that they can get to know each other. And even when they’re better acquainted, he promises, he won’t do anything she doesn’t want. When it’s obvious that Kya finds this arrangement agreeable, Chase suggests that they go to the beach, so Kya takes some bread and feeds the gulls while he watches.
When Chase says that he finds her beautiful and “free,” he inadvertently reveals that part of his attraction to her has to do with a somewhat fetishized notion of who she is. Indeed, he has bought into the town’s conception of Kya as the “Marsh Girl,” but instead of finding this persona revolting, he finds it intriguing. Instead of gravitating toward her because he’s genuinely interested in engaging with her as her own person (like Tate did), he finds himself coming to see her simply because he’s fascinated by the mere idea of her. Still, though, Kya has nobody else in her life, so she agrees to keep seeing Chase.
Themes
