Grief

Above all else, The Painted Drum is an exploration of the process of grieving and the different ways in which grief manifests. This is true of the origin of the drum itself, which is an item whose very existence springs from the grieving process. After the death of his daughter, Shawaano is wrought with feelings of guilt and anguish, and his life becomes directionless and lonely. It is only his realization that he must, in a sense, make something of his grief, which propels him back into a purposeful existence. He adopts the construction of the drum as a means of literally rebuilding, and is guided forward by the voice of his daughter, from whom the drum—both metaphorically and literally—originates.

Kurt Krahe's story, too, is one of grief; it bears mentioning that Kendra is not the first loved one he has lost. The fierce...