Tom Milton Character Analysis in Where the Crawdads Sing

Tom Milton is the lawyer who represents Kya when she’s on trial for Chase ’s murder. A considerate, levelheaded man, he comes out of retirement to be her lawyer, wanting to advocate for her because he knows that the townspeople of Barkley Cove have mistreated her for her entire life. In keeping with this mindset, Tom helps convince the jury members that Kya is innocent by urging them to disabuse themselves of the their preconceived ideas about her. Rather than focusing on the stories they’ve heard about Kya as the mysterious “Marsh Girl,” Tom says, the jury members should consider that Kya was abandoned by her entire family as a young girl and left to survive on her own in the marsh. Worse, none of the townspeople helped her through this period, showing her animosity instead of support. Consequently, he argues, the jury members should take it upon themselves to finally treat Kya with the kindness she deserves. In the end, this argument works, and Kya is found not guilty.

Tom Milton Quotes in Where the Crawdads Sing

The Where the Crawdads Sing quotes below are all either spoken by Tom Milton or refer to Tom Milton. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Survival, Necessity, and Violence Theme Icon

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I grew up in Barkley Cove, and when I was a younger man I heard the tall tales about the Marsh Girl. Yes, let’s just get this out in the open. We called her the Marsh Girl. Many still call her that. Some people whispered that she was part wolf or the missing link between ape and man. That her eyes glowed in the dark. Yet in reality, she was only an abandoned child, a little girl surviving on her own in a swamp, hungry and cold, but we didn’t help her. Except for one of her only friends, Jumpin’, not one of our churches or community groups offered her food or clothes. Instead we labeled and rejected her because we thought she was different. But, ladies and gentlemen, did we exclude Miss Clark because she was different, or was she different because we excluded her? If we had taken her in as one of our own—I think that is what she would be today. If we had fed, clothed, and loved her, invited her into our churches and homes, we wouldn’t be prejudiced against her. And I believe she would not be sitting here today accused of a crime.

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 340

Explanation and Analysis:

This is the closing argument that Tom Milton delivers on Kya’s behalf during Kya’s murder trial. As Tom speaks, he goes out of his way to emphasize the cruelty to which the townspeople of Barkley Cove have subjected Kya. This is because he wants to show the jury that their impressions of her are most likely informed by the region’s lore about people who live in the swamp. According to this notion, the jurors have been predisposed to make certain assumptions about Kya because for years they’ve heard stories about how the “Marsh Girl” has eyes that glow in the dark, or about how she’s “part wolf.” In reality, though, Kya has never been anything but a lonely human who was abandoned by her own family. Anything that sets her apart from the rest of society is directly related to the fact that she has never been able to depend upon anyone but herself, which is why she’s led a reclusive life. By spotlighting this dynamic, Tom tries to disabuse the jury of their implicit biases against Kya, ultimately arguing that she deserves the same kindness and empathy as anyone else. This, in turn, enables him to argue for her innocence based on facts and evidence, not prejudiced hearsay.

Tom Milton Character Timeline in Where the Crawdads Sing

The timeline below shows where the character Tom Milton appears in Where the Crawdads Sing. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Prejudice, Intolerance, and Acceptance Theme Icon

...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... (full context)

When Eric finishes questioning Rodney, Tom takes the floor and asks several questions, getting Rodney to establish that Kya’s screams could... (full context)

Independence vs. Human Connection Theme Icon

Tom Milton comes to visit Kya in jail after her first day in court. He explains... (full context)

...and Joe found in Kya’s home. Once he establishes this, he cedes the floor to Tom, who asks Dr. Cone how long these fibers could have clung to Chase’s coat. Following... (full context)

...the fire tower, indicating that somebody wiped the scene of the crime clean. When it’s Tom’s turn to question Ed, he points out that Chase’s footprints might have been washed away... (full context)

Going on, Tom shows the jury a letter written to the U.S. Forest Service several months before Chase’s... (full context)

When Tom questions the driver of the 11:50 p.m. bus from Greenville to Barkley Cove, he asks... (full context)

Once Tom sits back down, Eric calls his next witness—the driver of 2:30 a.m. bus from Barkley... (full context)

...her driving her boat toward the fire tower on the night of Chase’s murder. When Tom cross-examines Hal, though, he destabilizes the man’s certainty, getting him to admit that it was... (full context)

Finally, Tom Milton starts calling his own witnesses to the stand. He begins by speaking to Sarah... (full context)

Tom calls the owner of the Three Mountains Motel to the stand. His name is Lang... (full context)

...that he didn’t support his son—and the woman his son loves—sooner. As the trial continues, Tom calls Kya’s editor, Robert Foster, to the stand and asks him to confirm that he... (full context)

...to return to Barkley Cove in the middle of the night to kill Chase. When Tom is given a chance to respond to this, though, he reminds the jury that Kya... (full context)

Tom calls Ed as his next witness. Before he begins to question him, though, he notices... (full context)

Back in the courtroom, Tom talks to Ed about the prosecution’s main argument, ultimately suggesting that the time frame they... (full context)

The following day, Tom calls Tim O’Neal—his last witness—to the stand. Tim is a shrimper and is, incidentally, Hal... (full context)

Now that Tom is finished questioning his witnesses, Eric delivers his closing statement. In doing so, he reminds... (full context)

In Tom’s closing statement, he emphasizes that everyone in Barkley Cove has mistreated Kya for her entire... (full context)

Tom lets Tate, Jodie, Scupper, and Robert Foster wait for the verdict together in a small... (full context)

Tom Milton Character Analysis

Tom Milton Quotes in Where the Crawdads Sing

Chapter 53 Quotes

Tom Milton Character Timeline in Where the Crawdads Sing