The title of the novel is no accident.For Brady in particular, the red kayak is a powerful symbol of the responsibility he bears for Ben's death. In fact, it's the image that continues to plague him as he replays the novel's events months later: "I keep asking myself, What if this, what if that? And then in my mind I see that red kayak…" (4). Ultimately, of course, the holes drilled in the kayak's hull make the boat a very concrete emblem of J.T. and Digger's role in the crime, but for Brady, the kayak also serves as a reminder of a less tangible kind of guilt; by coming up with the idea for the prank and also by choosing not to call a warning the morning it sank, Brady unwittingly contributed to Ben's death. The kayak's bright, distinctive color underscores all these associations, since red—the color of blood—calls to mind ideas of violence, guilt, anger, etc.

The Corsica River is central not only to the plot of The Red Kayak, but also to its meaning. In the very first chapter, we learn that Brady has taken to sitting on the banks of the river in an effort to make sense of Ben's death, his friends' involvement, and the role he himself played in all of it.