Previous
Chapter 47
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
Kya goes to Jumpin’s on the morning of October 28th, 1969. She says farewell because Jumpin’ had asked her to check in before and after her trip, and then she goes to the bus stop and waits to board. Kya returns several days later and takes her boat home as everyone watches her, wondering why the “Marsh Girl” left the marsh. The next morning, she visits Jumpin’ to tell him that she’s back. When she arrives, Jumpin’ informs her that Chase Andrews died while she was in Greenville, and he tells her that the entire town is deeply unsettled. He also mentions that the sheriff thinks that Chase might have been murdered. Hearing this, Kya asks why he thinks this, and Jumpin’ explains that Chase’s shell necklace was missing when Sheriff Jackson found him. This mention of the necklace makes Kya’s mouth parched, but she says nothing.
Kya has a rather solid alibi to prove that she didn’t kill Chase, since she went to Greenville before he died and didn’t come back until after he was murdered. However, the fact that her mouth goes dry when Jumpin’ mentions the disappearance of the shell necklace should give readers pause, since it suggests that this piece of information has unnerved her, perhaps because it ties her to the crime. At the same time, though, it’s possible that she simply doesn’t like hearing about the shell necklace because it reminds her of a time when she felt strongly for Chase and trusted him enough to let him into her life.
Themes
