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Chapter 20
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Crow Country, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Prejudice and Discrimination
Heritage and Land
Justice and Restitution
Violence and Integrity
Summary
Analysis
On the way back from the lake, after the encounter with Craig Mortlock and the rest, Sadie blames herself—she feels that she shouldn’t have called the crows, who only ended up being shot at by the men. Sadie and Walter arrive back at the house. Just as they are about to enter, a crow appears. One of its wings is bleeding. The crow tells her that “the Law is broken,” and that “What was lost must be found.” Sadie, again, doesn’t know what the crow is talking about and implores it to tell her. The crow tells her she must find the place where her story joins with Waa the Crow’s story, and only then will she find what is lost. It tells her that the crows will help her. Then it disappears.
The injured crow that appears to Sadie and Walter recalls the violence that has been done to the sacred stone circle and to the crows themselves, by the Lachies and others throughout history. In reminding Sadie that a Law has been broken, and that something that has been lost must be restored, the crow emphasizes that Sadie herself has a role to play in the restoration of justice. The crow—as a representative of the spirit Waa the Crow—highlights justice and restitution as important values.
Themes
Sadie turns to Walter and asks him if he heard the crow speak. He says yes, but when she asks whether he saw that its wing was hurt, Walter says he didn’t see a crow but a man with a bleeding arm. He says it was a man and a crow, a “messenger from Waa, the Crow.” Like Sadie, he couldn’t make much sense of what the crow was saying—only that “something was stolen from the clever man.” Walter tells Sadie that his Auntie Lily can help them. Reluctantly, Sadie realizes that they need help, as she still doesn’t know what the crows want from her.
Walter is the first person other than Sadie who hears a crow speak. However, he sees the crow as a man, whereas Sadie sees it as a bird. The crow’s dual identity both as man and bird suggests its links both to the human realm and the realm of animals and spirits. In identifying the man/crow as a messenger from Waa, Walter rightly associates the crow with the Aboriginal ancestral spirits that preside over the land. Its injured arm/wing alludes to the violence committed against these Aboriginal spirits and the heritage they represent. Furthermore, the crow’s emphasis on the theft from the clever man again highlights that a wrong has been done, which must be corrected through justice and restitution.
Themes
Sadie goes inside, and sees that her room is freshly painted thanks to Ellie and David, who have left for a footy game. She thinks about Jimmy Raven’s death; the story of his murder was hidden, but it still existed. Walter comes into the room and tells her that he will go see his Auntie Lily the next day, and Sadie is welcome to come, too.
In dwelling on the fact that the story of Jimmy’s murder still exists, even if it is not widely known, Sadie seems to be arriving at an awareness of the ways in which reality can have many layers. Beneath the surface of reality, there are often other, more invisible truths. Sadie’s thoughts here reflect how prejudice and injustice are often hidden as well, but that doesn’t mean they’re not significant.
Themes
