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
In the summer of 1969—shortly after she receives the final copy of her second book—Kya finds a milk carton on the stump where Tate used to leave feathers for her. Inside the carton she finds a beautiful old compass and a note from Tate explaining that it was his grandfather’s in World War I. He says that he thought Kya could make good use of it and signs his letter with the word “love.” This delights Kya, though she still can’t bring herself to make things right with Tate, despite Jodie’s advice to forgive him. That evening, Kya sees Tate in the marsh but doesn’t approach, simply watching until he passes. Later, she recites an Amanda Hamilton poem about sunsets, which the poet believes disguise both “truths” and “lies.”
When Kya recites an Amanda Hamilton poem that examines “truth” and “lies,” readers see that she’s still unsure of what to think about the fact that Tate has apologized for abandoning her. Even though Tate claims that leaving Kya was the worst decision of his life, she doesn’t know if she can trust him. After all, he promised never to abandon her, but this is exactly what he did. Furthermore, Chase also made a number of promises that he failed to keep, effectively teaching Kya to distrust her loved ones’ intentions. Accordingly, Kya keeps her distance from Tate even though she clearly wants to reestablish their connection.
Themes
