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
Tom lets Tate, Jodie, Scupper, and Robert Foster wait for the verdict together in a small room in the courthouse while Kya herself feels unbearably lonely in her cell. That afternoon, the jurors reach a verdict. Tate worries that their turnaround time wasn’t very long, but there’s nothing to do but file into the courtroom. When Judge Sims asks Kya to stand, she needs Tom to help hold her up. However, his support isn’t enough, because her knees suddenly give out when the jury reads out its decision, saying, “We the jury find Miss Catherine Danielle Clark not guilty as charged in the first-degree murder of Mr. Chase Andrews.”
Once more, it becomes clear that Kya has a decent support network, despite the fact that she has lived a life of isolation and independence. When Tate, Jodie, Scupper, and Robert Foster stay in the courthouse to wait for the verdict, they represent the fact that Kya is not alone. This dynamic is also reinforced by the fact that Tom physically supports Kya as she stands to hear the verdict. Then, when the jury announces that it has found her not guilty, Kya senses—perhaps for the first time in her life—that not everyone in Barkley Cove is against her.
Themes
Immediately, spectators erupt in anger, shouting that the jury has made a mistake. People speak loudly to each other about the case, but soon enough they leave the courtroom to return to their jobs or go home. As this happens, a single tear runs down Mrs. Culpepper’s cheek, followed by a faint smile as she thinks about the fact that Kya—the “little swamp truant”—has escaped once more. As for Kya herself, she lets Jodie drive her home, though not before grazing Sunday Justice’s tale with her hand and appreciating that he ignores her, since she admires that he doesn’t feel the need to say farewell.
Although the jury has proved that people are clearly sympathetic toward Kya, it’s obvious that not everyone in Barkley Cove is ready to accept her. This is apparent when certain spectators start speaking out against the jury’s decision. However, what matters most is that there are people like Mrs. Culpepper who care enough about Kya to believe that she didn’t kill Chase, basing their opinions not on biases or prejudices, but on the facts of the case (and, in Mrs. Culpepper’s case, on a certain personal affinity for Kya). And yet, Kya still admires Sunday Justice’s independence, suggesting that although Kya has benefitted from the support of her community, she can’t help but maintain the individualistic mindset she’s been cultivating her entire life.
Themes
