In a plot that sheds light on the impacts of poverty, lack of education and a drug epidemic, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver has gripped the hearts and minds of readers around the world. Many have taken to social media to express their admiration for the Charles Dickens David Copperfield adaptation that began making waves in 2022.
The main character is Damon Fields (nicknamed Demon Copperhead because of his copper hair and attitude), who lives in the mountains of Southern Appalachia. Born in a trailer to a teenage, drug-addicted, single mother, he has an unwavering determination to survive. Here is the Demon Copperhead ending explained, along with more information about the author, the character, and the readers’ reactions.
Who Is the Author Of ‘Demon Copperhead’?
Kingsolver won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2023. In the book Demon Copperhead, she also targets the coal industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the foster care system. Kingsolver then explores how all three exploit poor communities.
Who Is In Damon Fields’ Social Circle?
Demon has Melungeon (Black, white and Native American) ancestry. Born to his ill-equipped mother, Demon was also raised by his primary village, which consists of his next door neighbors Mr. Peggot, Mrs. Peggot and their grandson Maggot, who is also Demon’s best friend. His neighbors’ home becomes an escape as his mother’s boyfriend is abusive, causing Demon to gain a social worker and be moved to live with a foster father, Mr. Crickson, along with his two foster sons, Tommy and Fast Forward. Even upon navigating these settings and the loss of his mother to a drug overdose on oxycontin, somehow, the memory of his father continues to follow him throughout the novel, making appearances in his relationships as well.
In this heartbreaking tale of endured misery, joy escapes Demon often. Being close with his three neighbors, Maggot, Angus and Dori, was one of his only beacons of light. But tragedy wasn’t just a magnet for him. Dori, who used drugs to escape the pain of her father’s death, found out she was pregnant and lost her baby shortly after.
‘Demon Copperhead’ Ending Explained
The pursuit of rehabilitation becomes an overarching theme toward the end. Demon gets ahold of his sobriety after moving away for three years. Now in better mental spaces of both of their leaves, he and Angus reunite at one of their favorite places of calm: the ocean. Readers suggest that the ending, though absent of being neat, clean or perfect, helped to semi-affirm his struggles (and hers). He does, however, seem to be on the brink of getting what he’s always wanted: joy, love and acceptance.
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