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Do you need a Where the Crawdads Sing study guide to help you understand the book?
In this Where the Crawdads Sing study guide, you’ll read about major events of the book. All of the major plots and characters are covered in this Where the Crawdads Sing study guide.
Where the Crawdads Sing Study Guide
This Where the Crawdads Sing study guide can help you with major characters, events, and themes. As you work through this Where the Crawdads Sing study guide, you should make sure to reference the book for additional character names and original chapter titles.
Abandoned
This is chapter 1 of the Where the Crawdads Sing chapter summary, where Kya’s mother first leaves. It’s the beginning of Kya’s life alone in the marsh.
Kya was six years old when her ma walked out of the house one morning, slamming the porch door on her way out. Kya was used to seeing Ma walk down the long dirt lane leading from their house to the ruddy road into town. This day, like all the others, Kya ran to the porch to wait for Ma to turn back at the bend and wave. Kya noticed that Ma was carrying a suitcase and wearing her fancy faux-alligator-skin heels. At the bend, Ma didn’t turn and wave. Kya ran to a part of the field where the road to town becomes visible, but all Kya saw was the end of the suitcase disappearing behind a bush.
Her older brother Jodie, the youngest of Kya’s four older siblings, stood with her. He promised that Ma would return, that mothers don’t abandon their children. But he didn’t sound convinced. Jodie was seven years older and had always been Kya’s mentor of sorts, teaching her about marsh wildlife and how to navigate the waterways in Pa’s boat. Kya wanted to believe him, but she sensed the suitcase and heels told a different story.
Time Marches On
Kya had never cooked before, but after a disastrous first attempt at making grits, she figured it out. She foraged turnip greens from Ma’s garden and boiled them in a pot. Pa stayed out of her way, and she stayed out of his. Sometimes, they’d go for days circling around each other and never talking. She kept the house clean like he asked, but mostly she wanted it to look nice for when Ma returned.
The only thing Kya knew about her birthday was that the autumn moon hung high in the sky around that time. When she saw it one night, she assumed she was now seven. She was sure Ma would come back for her birthday, so she dressed up in the only dress she owned and waited.
Once again, Ma didn’t show up. Kya stood from the porch and took the grits to the beach. She loved to feed the sea birds, loved how they circled above her and dove down to peck grits from the ground and her hands. She spent her first birthday without Ma in the company of birds. At this point in the Where the Crawdads Sing study guide, stop to consider Kya’s new reality. How might she have been feeling? What will she do to survive?
A New Way of Life—1952 to 1953
Kya had gotten used to hiding in the overgrowth of the marsh for safety, just as Jodie had taught her. So when she heard the sounds of a car coming up the dirt lane to their shack, that’s exactly what she did. From the brush, Kya watched a man and woman step out of the car and walk up the steps to the porch.
The woman called through the screen door, announcing she was there to take Kya to school. Kya was desperate to learn to read and find out what came after twenty-nine, but she was afraid of other kids. But when the woman, Mrs. Culpepper, yelled that Kya could get a hot lunch, Kya’s hunger won out. She stepped forward and allowed herself to be taken to school.
A Glimmer of Hope
Winter became spring, and spring grew into summer. It was 1953, and Pa and Kya had settled into their new life together. They ate meals at the table, talked, and sometimes played gin rummy after dinner.
hen Kya saw Pa coming up the lane, she ran from the house, too nervous about his reaction to the letter. She hid in the outhouse until she was sure he’d read it. After a minute, Pa slammed through the front door and stomped to his boat. Kya ran to the house to retrieve the letter, but all she found were its charred remains in the garbage. She collected the remains and stored them in a glass jar. They were the only pieces of Ma she had left.
After the letter, everything reverted back to the old ways. Pa was drunk all the time. He never took her fishing again and stopped coming home more often.
Becoming Grown—1956 to 1960
Chapter 3 of the Where the Crawdads Sing chapter summary focuses on Ky’as father’s abandonment, and Kya learning to get by without him.
By the time Kya was ten, Pa was a passing mirage in the shack. He’d stay out for weeks at a time, not bothering to leave any money. Soon, she was able to count several full moons since she last saw him. She imagined all the things that could have happened to Pa, like being beaten up during a poker game or falling drunk into the swamp and drowning. Whatever had happened, Kya knew that Pa wasn’t going to come back.
Unlike with Ma, Pa leaving didn’t make her feel abandoned, just lonely. She was also scared that someone would find out he was gone and take her to live somewhere else. The marsh was her home, and the birds needed her. Leaving wasn’t an option. To avoid the authorities, she’d have to pretend Pa was still at home.
The only saving grace was that Pa had disappeared on foot, leaving the boat behind. Kya survived by digging for mussels in the sand and smashing them into a spread on crackers for each meal. But she had no more supplies. The house was dark at night without kerosene for the lamps, and she only had a few matches left. She had to find a way to get some money.
A Life of Meaning
Once Kya’s reading got to a certain level, Tate introduced her to poetry. He read her some of his favorite poems that had touched him. Kya loved the way the words rhymed and sounded like waves hitting the sand. After that, she started working on her own poems, reciting them allowed as she motored around the lagoons. At home, she found Ma’s old book of poetry and read through the ones marked as favorites. Each poem spoke to Kya as though they were messages from Ma, especially the ones that spoke of sadness and longing for freedom.
Tate also brought Kya more difficult books and educational materials from school. Tate never acted like the books were too advanced for her, so Kya didn’t know to think of them as such. She slowly made her way through each, picking up more and more every time. She especially loved the biology textbook.
With the fear of social services behind them, Tate and Kya stayed close to the shack instead of going to the cabin for her lessons. The late months brought darkness earlier, and when it became too cold to sit by the water, Kya invited Tate inside the shack. It was the first time anyone but Kya had been in the shack since Pa had left. He examined her collection of feathers, bones, nests, and shells with awe. Now, stop again in the Where the Crawdads Sing study guide. What does Tate’s friendship mean to Kya? What will happen now that she has positive human interactions?
Womanhood—1960 to 1962
Kya’s body was changing in ways she didn’t understand. Without a woman around for guidance, she’d moved through puberty without restriction. So when Mabel gave her a bra, she was surprised and embarrassed. Mabel said it was about time she be needing one and added that she was always available if Kya needed to talk about any other changes in her body.
A few weeks went by before Kya needed Mabel’s help again. She was in her boat on the open water when her stomach started to cramp. It was a pain like she’d never felt before and made her double over. She motored back to her beach and docked the boat. Right then, she heard the sound Tate’s boat motoring toward her. She cursed his terrible timing and hoped she wouldn’t have to run into the woods to let out whatever was causing her insides to twist.
One morning, Kya took the boat out, explored, and added to her wilderness collection. She tried to focus on finding feathers, shells, and nests, but her thoughts always drifted to Tate. Months passed in this way. She’d take the boat out, collect her specimens, and paint illustrations of them at home. She went to Jumpin’s only when she absolutely had to and continued to keep an emotional distance.
During this time, her collection had taken on a grand air. She’d organized everything according to genus and species, age, size, and color. Every surface of the shack held a part of her masterpiece. She loved her collection and world, but she was lonelier than ever.
Time continued, and soon it was a year since she’d seen Tate. Though her life had gone on, the empty hole in her heart expanded with each passing month. She longed for the sound of another’s voice, to feel someone near, to touch another’s flesh. But keeping her heart safe was more important than companionship, and year after year, Kya settled into isolation.
A Beautiful Woman—1965 to 1966
You’ll see that after chapter 6 in the Where the Crawdads Sing chapter summary, Kya is now an adult and her world is changing
At nineteen, Kya had become a tall, lean, striking young woman. Her hair was long and coal black, and her eyes were large and captivating. She had remained sheltered all these years, with only her collection, textbooks, and poetry to keep her company. She’d grown accustomed to her life, but she never lost the longing for others.
One day, Kya sat on Point Beach along the coast between her shack and Jumpin’s watching the tide roll in and out. A crush of voices suddenly filled the air. Kya ran into the forest and watched as a group of young adults scurried over the place she had previously sat. They were the same group she’d seen a few times, the kids who’d scorned her as children now grown up.
What the Future Holds
Kya made a trip into Barkley Cove one day when she needed something Jumpin’ didn’t carry. When she was leaving the Piggly Wiggly, she almost ran straight into Chase’s parents. Patty Love was dressed immaculately, as usual. Kya knew who they were, as they did her, and she hoped to receive some acknowledgment from them. But Chase’s parents stopped abruptly and made a wide circle around Kya, like she was a walking plague.
That night, while she and Chase floated in his boat, Kya mentioned running into his parents. She asked if she might meet them soon. Chase promised she would and held her hand, but he didn’t look at her when he said it.
The Barkley Cove Judge and Jury—1969
Patty Love entered the police station late in the afternoon. She wanted to know if the sheriff had any leads or other information about her son’s death. Sheriff Jackson thought it was surely foul play and said they were doing everything they could to find the person responsible. That was when Patty Love told them her news.
In mid-December, Ed and Joe were in the office devising a plan to find Kya when Rodney Horn, a retired mechanic, came in. He told the officers about something he’d seen at the end of August that might have something to do with their case. He’d been out fishing with his friend Denny Smith and witnessed something at one of the nearby coves. After he told the men his story and left, the two officers stared at each other. They finally had a proper motive. This is a huge turning point in the book. Use the Where the Crawdads Sing study guide to think about how Kya’s reclusive lifestyle, and her history with the people of Barkley Cove, led to this moment.
A Beautiful Nightmare—1966 to 1968
A year had passed since Kya and Chase had come together, but things had not progressed physically. What had changed was the way Chase talked about their future. Chase started talking about building them a house after they were married. He said Kya could choose whatever kind of house she wanted, and he’d build it for her, including a veranda that looked over the water. Chase’s words were music to Kya’s ears. She would be forever attached to another. She’d finally have a family.
Turning Tides
Tate accepted Kya’s invitation to stop by a day after receiving her letter. When he pulled up in her lagoon, the first time since the rock-throwing Christmas, he waved and gave a small smile. Kya mimicked both gestures.
Tate marveled about the beauty of her book. He wanted to hug her, but her body language suggested otherwise. Standing on the beach, he thanked her for the book and asked her to sign it. Kya thought about what she could possibly say to Tate. Then, on the front page, she wrote, “To the Feather Boy, Thank you, From the Marsh Girl.” When Tate read the words, he turned to hide his emotions. If only he could hold her. He settled for squeezing her hand.
Before Tate left, Kya thanked him for helping her the way he did. Kya felt a stirring on one side of her heart, but the other was still locked down tight. She thought maybe she might be able to be his friend or, looking at her book, even his colleague someday.
Later, Kya grabbed another copy of her book and headed to Jumpin’s. When she climbed out of the boat, she placed the book in Jumpin’s hands. He stared at it, not knowing what it was, until she pointed out her name on the cover. She thanked him for all the ways he and Mabel had taken care of her and said that she was finally okay.
Kya continued to visit Jumpin’s wharf for gas and supplies. She saw her book propped in the window of his store and knew it was the kind of thing a father would do for a daughter he was proud of.
The Past Comes Calling—1968 to 1969
One winter morning, Kya received a massive surprise while working on her third book, a guide to local mushrooms. From the kitchen table, she heard tires rolling over the gravelly lane to her shack. A red pickup pulled in, and she thought about running, her normal way of dealing with visitors, but it was too late. A man dressed in a military uniform was walking to her porch.
Tom paused, preparing for his emotional ending. Despite her circumstances and lack of schooling, this woman, who Barkley Cove reduced to Marsh Girl, was now heralded as the Marsh Expert in scientific communities. He said it was time for this community to put aside their prejudices and see this woman for who she was. Let the persecution of this young woman finally be over.
A Different Life—1970 and Beyond
Kya’s supporters, including Scupper, who’d shown up in court a few days earlier to support his son, were impatient for the verdict. Tom told them he couldn’t predict how long the jury would deliberate or what their verdict would be but reminded them that even with a guilty verdict, the fight wasn’t over.
The jury asked for documents twice. The first was the bus drivers’ transcripts. The second was the coroner’s transcript. The hours dragged, and as her support team sat unsettled, so did Kya in her cell. She had lived a life of loneliness, but waiting for the verdict created a sensation like she’d never known. Thinking of never seeing her beautiful marsh again made her feel more alone than before.
At four o’clock the same day, the jury had a decision. Tom delivered the news with a solemn expression. A verdict this fast didn’t bode well for Kya. The townspeople clustered back into the courtroom, which was at capacity within ten minutes.
Tate made a fire and burned the poems and piece of rawhide the shell had hung from. He replaced the boards and wood. He took the shell to the beach and placed it on the sand, where it became just another shell among so many others. The tide came in and washed the shells back to sea, taking Kya’s secret with them.
Hopefully, this Where the Crawdads Sing study guide helped you visualize main events and keep track of characters. You can reference this Where the Crawdads Sing study guide any time, and use it as a reading companion or study resource.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best summary of Delia Owens's "Where the Crawdads Sing" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Where the Crawdads Sing summary :
- How Kya Clark's abandonment as a child affected her through her entire life
- How Kya discovered love despite steep obstacles
- The murder trial that embroiled Kya's town, and the ultimate truth behind the murder
