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Note: the following guide contains spoilers!
Demon Copperhead is a fictional story written by the well-known author Barbara Kingsolver.
It came out in 2022 and quickly became a bestseller, even earning a spot in Oprah’s Book Club. The tale is set in Lee County, Virginia, and is told from the perspective of the main character, offering a unique view of both the beautiful and ugly sides of the world.
The book highlights the problems with American institutions but also celebrates the strength of individual spirit.
In this guide we will go through the complete summary and ending of Demon Copperhead! I’ve also attached a link to my personal review, and book club discussion guide. Enjoy! ✨
Book Quotes | Book Club Questions
Demon Copperhead Summary
The story is about a boy named Demon who is born in a small town in Virginia. His mom is unconscious due to drugs and alcohol during his birth. A neighbor named Mrs. Peggot helps with the delivery and believes Demon is lucky and won’t drown. Demon’s dad passed away before he was born, and because of his mom’s problems, he spends most of his childhood with the Peggots.
They have a grandson, Maggot, who is Demon’s age. Maggot lives with them because his mom is in prison for trying to harm her boyfriend. Maggot and Demon are best friends, and Demon wishes he could stay with the Peggots forever. Demon’s life becomes more uncertain when his mom starts dating a tough man called Stoner.
After returning from Knoxville, Demon finds out that his mom has married Stoner. Now, Stoner is in charge at home, and he treats Demon and his mom very poorly. Stoner not only prevents Demon from seeing his friend Maggot but also uses hurtful language against Maggot.
Stoner becomes physically and emotionally abusive towards Demon, but Demon fights back. The stress from this abusive marriage causes Demon’s mom to turn back to alcohol and drugs. One day, when Demon discovers his mom unconscious, he calls for an ambulance.
When Demon is 10 years old, the Peggots take him on a trip to Knoxville. Mrs. Peggot’s daughter, Jane, is a nurse with a stable income and a nice apartment. Jane takes care of her late brother’s daughter, Emmy. Initially, Demon and Emmy don’t get along, but they become friends when Demon helps her overcome her fear of sharks at the aquarium. This day at the aquarium is special for Demon, who has never seen the ocean but dreams about it.
At the hospital, Social Services gets involved because Stoner has accused the Peggots of mistreating Demon. This means Demon can’t stay with the Peggots while his mom is in rehab. Instead, a social worker named Miss Barks arranges for Demon to stay on a farm owned by a widower named Crickson. Crickson takes in foster boys when he needs extra help and money. Even though Demon has chores on the farm, Crickson ensures he gets enough to eat and can still go to school.
On the farm, Demon meets three other foster children. Swap-Out has a condition because his mom drank while pregnant. Tommy, who Crickson teases for being overweight, turns out to be a kind person. There’s also Fast Forward, a popular high school athlete who supplies drugs to the boys and collects money from them.
Demon goes to live with the McCobb family, who are not very nice to him. They only take him in for the money they get from the foster system. Even though they are pretending to be rich, they make Demon sleep in a not-so-nice room and hardly give him enough food. Mr. McCobb tries to find Demon a job, and he ends up working behind a market that is secretly a place where drugs are made.
The McCobbs don’t take care of Demon, so he becomes messy and sad. The other kids at school don’t want to be friends with him because he looks poor and dirty. Demon feels really bad about himself. When the McCobbs lose their car, they have to leave, and Demon decides to run away with the money he earned from his job. He travels to Tennessee to find his grandmother, Betsy Woodall.
Betsy takes care of girls who need homes and her brother, Dick. She doesn’t like the foster system, but she doesn’t want Demon to go back there. At first, she doesn’t want to take him in because she doesn’t want boys around except for her brother. But she doesn’t want Demon to go back to foster care, so she finds a good family for him. Demon moves in with a nice man in Lee County who is a high school football coach.
In Coach Winfield’s huge house, Demon has his own room and a simple job—doing well in school. Coach Winfield sees potential in Demon academically, suggesting he join the Gifted and Talented program, and athletically, thinking he could become a star football player. Despite this, Demon worries about the future, especially with UHaul, who runs errands for Coach Winfield, making him uneasy.
Demon’s school performance improves with the help of his counselor, Mr. Armstrong. Despite his initial fears, Demon becomes more settled and reconnects with friends like the Peggots, including Maggot, who has embraced a goth style. Emmy and Aunt June also return to Lee County.
As Demon navigates through middle school, he becomes accustomed to his new, happier life. In high school, he excels as a football player. However, things take a dark turn when he encounters Fast Forward, who introduces him to the party scene. A girl named Rose warns Demon about Fast Forward’s violent behavior.
Demon’s romantic life gets complicated when he meets Dori, a girl who sacrifices her education to care for her sick father. Demon falls in love with her, but a football injury leads to prescriptions for medications, including OxyContin, and eventually, an addiction. After the homecoming dance, Dori introduces Demon to Fentanyl through injection, marking the beginning of a challenging journey for both of them.
Dori’s dad passes away, and Demon moves in with her. They struggle with addiction, working just enough to afford drugs. Despite wanting space, Demon can’t bring himself to break up with Dori. He befriends Tommy, who helps him publish comic strips in the local newspaper. These comics, featuring a superhero named Red Neck, become so popular that Demon gets an official contract to publish them.
As Dori’s addiction hits a new low, she reveals she’s pregnant. Fast forward, Emmy and Demon used to date but broke up. He involved her in his drug dealing, forcing her into unpleasant situations in Atlanta. June and Demon go to Atlanta to rescue Emmy. They find her in bad shape in a random house. On the way back, June shares a surprising revelation: Demon’s dad died in an accidental drowning at a place called Devil’s Bathtub.
Tragically, Dori has a miscarriage and dies from an overdose shortly afterward.
On a rainy night, Demon, Maggot, and Emmy’s ex-boyfriend Hammer, all under the influence of drugs, encounter Fast Forward at Devil’s Bathtub. Hammer, carrying a gun, startles Fast Forward, who tries to escape by jumping off the waterfall but tragically lands on the rocks and dies.
In an attempt to help, Hammer enters the turbulent water and ends up drowning. Maggot is charged as an accomplice in Hammer’s death and receives a two-year sentence in juvie, where he undergoes treatment for meth addiction.
Demon accepts June’s offer to help him secure a spot in rehab and later in a halfway house. After spending three and a half years in Knoxville, Demon achieves and maintains sobriety. He returns to Lee County after his high school art teacher, Mrs. Annie, assists him in writing a book proposal for a graphic novel.
Upon completing the novel, Maggot and his mother are released from prison, both sober and living together. Emmy, having gone through rehab, resides in her own halfway house, content and pursuing dance.
Demon reconnects with Angus, realizing his love for him, and together they embark on a journey to the ocean.
Demon Copperhead Ending Explained
In the last chapters of Demon Copperhead, we see more sad events but also some hope and changes in the characters.
Similar to a story called David Copperfield, a character named Dori/Dora dies in chapters 54-64. This makes Demon feel both sad and relieved. After Dori has a miscarriage, it becomes clear that her addiction to drugs will harm her irreversibly.
Although her death isn’t a surprise, it’s a significant moment of sadness and growth for the characters. Dori was the reason Demon kept going each day, but her influence also kept him hooked on drugs. Her death marks a new beginning but also a tough time for Demon.
Following Dori’s death, there are two more tragic deaths at Devil’s Bathtub, a place that holds symbolic meaning because it’s where Demon’s father died. Hammer and Fast Forward both meet gruesome and unnecessary ends. Fast Forward accidentally dies while jumping off a waterfall.
Hammer, feeling guilty for causing Fast Forward to jump, tries to save him but ends up drowning. This situation is similar to a crucial moment in David Copperfield where characters Ham and Steerforth die in a storm. Fast Forward is no longer a threat, but losing Hammer is a symbolic blow for Demon.
Demon believes Hammer’s death is especially unfair among all the deaths he’s witnessed because Hammer was genuinely good. The deaths of both Hammer and Fast Forward highlight how cruel early deaths can be. They die young and without reason, and all the potential they had goes to waste.
After these three deaths, Demon reaches a low point while walking alone in the beautiful countryside. Despite the natural beauty around him, Demon’s inner struggles become even more apparent. He feels danger everywhere and realizes that he won’t get better if he stays in Lee County. Despite his love for his home, he understands that his home doesn’t reciprocate that love. This realization becomes a crucial moment in Demon’s growth as a character.
In a clear example of rebuilding oneself and the importance of independence, Demon understands that he alone can change his life. Although he receives support from June and maintains friendships with Angus and Tommy, Demon has to make the daily decision to stay sober. Choosing sobriety is challenging, as seen through Dori’s struggles, but Demon draws on his childhood resilience and determination.
He builds a new life for himself, breaking free from the shackles of his past. Inspired by Tommy, who proves that being good pays off in the long run, Demon learns the importance of surrounding himself with positive influences. Without friends dealing with their own addictions, Demon can better embrace and practice sobriety.
Tommy not only brings happiness and fulfillment to Demon but also helps challenge negative stereotypes of rural America. This collaboration leads to Demon’s book project. Despite never thinking his voice was worth hearing, Demon now gains a fan base and a support network that recognizes his work as representative of Appalachia. As Demon’s character evolves, so does his art and literature.
Finally, after being away for years, the hero completes his journey and comes back home. Going back to Lee County is a big challenge for Demon, testing his strength and sobriety. It’s important for him to show himself that he deserves his new life. Lee County is filled with memories of Demon’s past, some good and some not so good.
His former teachers, Aunt June, and Angus stand out as beacons of goodness in a tough place. Demon Copperhead is a novel about development, where the struggles he faced since birth are now resolved. Demon can now look forward to the future with hope and joy.
The story wraps up with Demon and Angus, a fitting pair, heading towards Demon’s dream ocean. Unlike the first two times Demon tried seeing the ocean with others, Angus will always be there for him. In a similar way to David Copperfield marrying Agnes, even though Kingsolver doesn’t explicitly say there’s a romantic relationship between Angus and Demon, she suggests that in Angus, Demon has found true and mutual love.
Happy reading! ❤️