The main theme of Silent Spring is the balance of nature being destroyed by the widespread, unregulated, uncaring use of insecticides. Rachel Carson carefully explains what the balance of nature is. She describes the balance of nature of the soil, of the earth’s waters, and of the organisms of the earth. Carson is saying that everything on earth is interdependent for survival, and when one thing changes or one species is harmed by human actions it affects every other living thing too. Carson gives specific examples for the earth,rivers, plants, and animals of the ways chemical poisons upset that balance and kill them and many other species by mistake. Rachel Carson criticizes the irresponsible chemical industry, which continues to claim that pesticides are safe, and also says that public officials who accept whatever the chemical companies say without question are part of the problem.
