Previous
Chapter 31
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
With Christmas approaching, Demon asks Angus what their family does for the holidays. She says they don’t really do anything. She says Christmas is hard for her dad because her mom died around Christmastime. But Demon insists that they celebrate Christmas. They steal a tree from Crickson’s farm. When they bring it home, they decorate it with whatever they can find, including old CDs, Angus’s earrings, and spoons. The night of December 23, they can’t wait any longer. They run downstairs while Coach is asleep and open the presents they’ve gotten for each other. Angus gets Demon a silver Members Only jacket and a ship in a bottle. Demon gets Angus a velvet hat with a veil that hangs down from a pawn shop. He also gives her a framed drawing he made of her as a superhero named Black Leather Angel.
Over and over, the novel shows that Demon—while he has experienced significant trauma—can still form deep and close friendships. In this case, he and Angus not only plan a Christmas celebration together, but they also exchange thoughtful gifts. As a result, both Angus and Demon feel seen by the other, hinting at the closeness that will continue to grow between them over time. The novel frames this kind of mutual care and consideration as the opposite of the exploitation that organizations and corporations exercise throughout the novel.
Themes
Demon and Angus both love their gifts. Demon thinks stealing the tree from Crickson was the best part of Christmas—it felt righteous. Demon gets one more surprise a few days after Christmas. Coach calls him into his office. Demon is convinced he’s about to be sent away to live somewhere else. Instead, Coach tells Demon that he has talent, and he seems like he could be a tight end. Coach says he’ll talk to Coach Briggs about putting him in JV practices next fall and that football camp runs for most of the summer. Demon is ecstatic, not just about football, but also because he’ll be staying at Coach’s house at least through the summer and next fall.
As soon as Coach talks to Demon about football, the novel establishes Demon’s thought process around playing. Demon is excited about being part of the team, but he directly connects playing football to being able to stay at Coach’s house and to continue having a stable and supportive living environment. With that in mind, though, if something were to happen and Demon couldn’t play football, it’s possible that Demon may feel less welcome in the Winfield house. In that sense, while it seems like Coach genuinely cares about Demon, he still views their relationship in somewhat transactional terms—Demon can only stay, he thinks, because he has something to offer Coach. Demon’s present insecurities hint at the damage Demon has sustained from exploitative foster care situations of the past.
Themes
