The Crash: Tuna

There’s the endearment factor of “Little Tuna” being Tegan’s nickname for her baby, and it being Tegan’s pregnancy craving food but it’s also a hint at Tegan not necessarily being overly concerned with looking after her baby’s health as best she can. She knows she can’t eat tuna for every meal (because of the mercury) and yet she has 5 tins on her counter so she’s possibly eating more than she maybe should. And later, it becomes a big deal when she mentions it to Polly, because Polly adds her choice of tuna as another example of her being a bad mother. So it’s a good subtle introduction that both makes Tegan more relatable while at the same time casting doubt if she is a responsible person.

Truly, the one person I was rooting for throughout the story was Tuna. Of course Tegan is innocent and not to blame for what happens to her – she’s surrounded by “crazy” and “evil” people. But at several points, it’s made clear that Polly’s assessment of Tegan as an unfit mother isn’t wholly wrong. Tegan goes for a drive in a blizzard at night when she’s exhausted. She eats more tuna from tins than she should (exposing the baby to mercury), she puts Tuna in harms way a few times when trying to escape the basement. Poor Tuna. And then there’s Polly. She too puts Tuna’s life in jeopardy by not getting Tegan the medical attention she needs and then wanting to steal her from her mother. I wonder if Tuna might have been picked as the baby’s name because Tia ends up being like like a fish that Polly wanted to catch?