The novel’s title immediately establishes the significance of water and the impact of its absence. Because Three Chairs is located in a harsh, dry climate, water is a valuable resource. California, historically a state whose economy is dependent on a variety of agriculture, needs water to maintain financial viability. The novel also points to how the growing urban population of Los Angeles threatens Southern California’s already-limited water supply. Neither humans, animals, nor plants can survive without it, and this is largely what drives Rocky to protect his water access and fight for his individual water rights. Ironically, Rocky’s death is by drowning. Having battled over water for his adult life, water in a sense wins in the end.

The impact of the lack of water—thirst—symbolizes what many characters lack. Sunny, for instance, knows little of her mother and, desperate to discover who Lou was, seeks out her mother’s recipes and cookbooks. Importantly, as she satiates this thirst, it only grows stronger, leading to Sunny’s passion for food and cooking and her desire to know as much as possible about various cuisine and ingredients. The absence of the love of family members creates a thirst in Rocky, too, who mourns Lou’s death throughout the decades that follow and then longs to have been better connected to Stryker before his life was (presumptively) cut short.