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
It has been two months since Kya was arrested. Having spent this time in a jail cell, she’s desperate to look out the window as the jailers take her to sit next to her attorney, Tom Milton, in the courtroom. Although she doesn’t turn to look, she can feel the imposing presence of the many people who have come to watch her trial, knowing that they relish seeing her in handcuffs. Feeling her nervousness, Tom tries to distract Kya from worrying about everybody watching her. For the past couple of months, he has spent his time visiting her in jail and trying to build a defense, though this has been difficult because Kya was initially unwilling to say much to him—unwilling, that is, until he brought her a book about shells, which encouraged her to open up a bit.
When Kya enters the courtroom and feels as if the townspeople are happy to see her in handcuffs, readers come to sense the extent to which she has been ostracized by society. Indeed, it’s apparent that the people of Barkley Cove are all too eager to think the worst of Kya simply because she is different. For years, they have spoken disparagingly about her, calling her the “Marsh Girl” and telling tall tales about her life. Now, as Kya enters the courtroom, these prejudices are palpably present and threaten to inform the way the jury rules on the case.
Themes
Judge Sims announces that the state prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty if Kya is found guilty. He then asks the jury members if any of them have concerns about their ability to be objective. Mrs. Culpepper—the truancy officer—raises her hand. When she does so, Kya remembers a time when Mrs. Culpepper came to bring her to school. Her partner parked and went searching while Mrs. Culpepper stayed in the car. Easily confusing the man (sending him running in the wrong direction), Kya looped back to the car and scratched the door with a branch, catching Mrs. Culpepper’s eyes through the window. Kya thought at that moment that she detected a faint smile on Mrs. Culpepper’s face, and Mrs. Culpepper didn’t say anything when her partner returned. Now, Judge Sims asks her if she can make a judgment based only on evidence, and she says yes.
The vast majority of people in Barkley Cove are unsympathetic toward Kya because she’s different—a daunting fact, since many of these people make up the jury that will decide Kya’s fate. Mrs. Culpepper, however, seems to have a soft spot for Kya’s wily intelligence and craftiness. Although it was her job to make sure that Kya conformed to the rules of society by attending school, she managed to recognize that Kya was an independent and smart child. As a result, it seems as if there will be at least one juror capable of putting unfair assumptions aside in order to determine whether or not Kya is guilty.
Themes
