Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Demon Copperhead, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Exploitation
Class, Social Hierarchy, and Stereotypes
Pain and Addiction
Toxic Masculinity
Community and Belonging
Summary
Analysis
About a month after topping the tobacco, they cut it. Demon thinks cutting tobacco is the “bastard of all bastards.” Creaky keeps them out of school for most of October. One week in, Demon gets nicotine poisoning because he isn’t wearing gloves to handle the tobacco. He pukes on his shoes, and the other boys drag him inside. Around that same time, tobacco ads stop playing on TV, but Demon doesn’t know why. At school, teachers smoke during their breaks, and kids smoke at recess.
This passage highlights the exploitative and abusive nature of Crickson’s farm. He forces the boys, who are as young as 10, to do difficult, physically demanding labor that can lead to serious illness. The novel directly links Crickson’s exploitative practices to the predatory practices of the tobacco industry, showing that there is a pattern to the abuse the industry (and the individuals who profit from it) commits.
Themes
