Journal Entry #19—Where the Crawdads Sing, Crayfish Crawdad Meaning and Symbolism

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I’m excited to go see Where the Crawdads Sing movie at the theater this weekend with my daughter. I read the book when I stayed in North Carolina last year and fell in love with the rich imagery of the wildlife, marsh, and swamps. 

I was experiencing that same imagery in real-time hiking with my son while I was there. Now that I’m back in Texas and I really miss hiking in the forest and being surrounded by all the tall pines, the marshy areas close to the ocean, and the swampy areas back inland. 

I remember while reading the book, that I wondered why there was no mention of any hurricanes or more dangerous animals like alligators that do live in North Carolina. After I read the book, I did go back and read the reviews and many others had those same questions, and they felt the author did not do her due research. 

But all in all, I did enjoy the book otherwise, the storyline, the coming-of-age issues the girl went through, and the utter aloneness and abandonment she felt by those that should have taken care of her. And of course, my Great Blue Heron was also depicted beautifully in the book.

This was the author’s first book of fiction (her others are nonfiction of her experiences as a wildlife scientist), but I think she could have done some deeper research on plot structure as well as depicting characters more realistically in that time era and setting. I mainly enjoyed the book for the nature journaling the main character did and the beautiful descriptive imagery of the marsh and wildlife. 

I thought crawdads (crayfish, crawfish) would be a good Spirit Animal for this week’s Newsletter (July 17, 2022). Crayfish / crawdad symbolism can hold special meaning for you if you are needing to let go of past issues or need an ally to show you how to shed a skin and grow a thicker one to navigate this hard world.

I spent time this week looking up and reflecting on crawdad meaning and symbolism. Such a small creature holds a lot of symbolism for transformation. Here’s a little bit of the fascinating things about crawdads I found.

After crayfish molt, they become vulnerable while their new “skin” is growing thicker, so they hide or burrow until they aren’t as sensitive, usually 3-4 days. 

They can regenerate a lost limb or claw several times throughout their life. It regrows easily.  Sometimes they will remove their own leg or claw if it is damaged beyond repair. 

There is a lot of crayfish / crawdad symbolism here that we can meditate on and learn how to apply in our own lives.  It teaches us to let go of the old or damaged parts of ourselves and regenerate new aspects for growth and maturity. And to keep moving forward in life. 

You can read more in the newsletter that I wrote up about it with tons of fascinating facts. I’ll link to it as soon as I post it. 

In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the movie date with my daughter. And then check out some of these related products I found that would be fun. There’s a Where the Crawdads Sing 1000-Piece Puzzle, and a 2023 wall calendar.  

Oh, and check out the interview with Delia Owens. It was interesting!

Did you enjoy the book or movie? What did you think?

UPDATE:

7/16/22–I just saw Where the Crawdads Sing in the theater and absolutely loved it. It followed the book perfectly and I just loved everything about the film. I plan on buying this when it comes out to watch again!

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click on those links you are supporting me and my business. Thank you for your support!