The negative effects of family secrets
The negative effects of family secrets are one of the most significant—and important—themes in Dig. Throughout the novel, long-held family secrets are frequently unraveled. The climactic annual reunion, in fact, reveals one of the most significant family secrets: the family has been horrible to people (particularly Black people). King underscores the idea that secrets, when left buried but still remembered, can lead to significant emotional turmoil and unresolved anger and violence (as is the case in the Hemmings family). However, confronting those secrets can pave the way for healing and understanding, which is evident from the ending of the novel. Many of the Hemmings family teenagers leave the annual reunion with a greater sense of understanding about their family and with a certain sense of satisfaction and healing.
Generational trauma
The Hemmings family's history is riddled with trauma, racism, and dysfunction. Each of those issues, despite each family member's best efforts, has been passed down, generation after generation, with seemingly no end in sight. Throughout Dig, the novel tells the story of a complicated family tree that was radically altered by each generation's past decisions, which shaped future generations. The Hemmings' younger members, especially the five teenagers at the center of the novel, are living manifestations of the generational trauma caused by those past decisions. Their individual struggles—mostly related to self-worth, identity, and personal relationships—are, in many ways, a direct result of the family's unresolved issues. Instead of healing and breaking free from toxic cycles that enabled generational trauma, the Hemmings family's younger generation finds themselves ensnared by the same pitfalls that previous generations dealt with.
Racism
One of the most striking and important themes in the novel is the insidious nature of the racism that permeates the Hemmings family—particularly the matriarch and patriarch of the family. This is exemplified by the family's racist treatment of Malcolm, their Black grandson. Malcolm's experiences with racism in his own family showcase the deeply entrenched racial prejudices in the family and surrounding community. Through Malcolm, the novel explores the damaging, sometimes crippling, effect racism has on people—especially those without much privilege. Malcolm's navigation within this privileged, white family landscape underscores the systemic nature of racism and privilege and how they interact with each other in real-life scenarios, which encourages readers to examine their own lives and biases.
