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Chapter 51
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
Demon calls June to tell her that Emmy might be in Atlanta. June says they should find Martha because Martha might help lead them to Emmy. When he goes back home, Demon expects Dori to be at work, but he finds her in bed. She’s been asked not to come back to the salon job. Demon thinks it’s because she either missed too many appointments or got caught stealing. After that, Dori spends most of her time watching TV. One day, Demon reaches a “breaking point” and throws an empty vodka bottle at the TV.
When Demon throws a vodka bottle at the TV, he once more demonstrates his inability to control his temper or to resolve conflicts in his relationship with Dori without resorting to that anger. Demon’s reliance on anger—and his unwillingness to feel other emotions or experience vulnerability —point to the ways that Demon, even though he despised Stoner, internalized some of Stoner’s toxic masculinity.
Themes
Demon gets a job now at a farm co-op in Norton. The part of the day he enjoys most is when he goes to the paper after work to draw the comic with Tommy. One night, Tommy tells him that he’s not really supposed to have visitors at the paper, so they should work on the comic at Tommy’s house. Tommy says that he’s worried about Demon’s ability to function and is afraid he might hurt himself with all the machinery around. Demon can tell it almost kills Tommy to tell him that, but Demon still gets angry and lashes out at Tommy. Demon then apologizes and says he wants to “clean up his act.” Tommy says he should go to AA. He also says that it’s hard to get clean if you’re living with an addict. Demon thinks he won’t leave Dori, though.
Even Tommy, who seems to abhor confrontation, has reached a point where he feels like he has to say something to Demon about issues that have arisen due to Demon’s addiction. Tommy gives Demon sensible advice about attending AA and the difficulties that might come from living with Dori, but Demon doesn’t want to hear it. While Dori is a much different person from Fast Forward, Demon’s relationship with her shows his tendency to fill his life with people who might not be willing or able to act with his best interests in mind. In this case, the pain might be mutual, as neither Demon nor Dori seems to have much chance of getting clean as long as they live together.
Themes
Demon starts working out of the garage where Tommy lives. Haillie often comes over from the main house to visit him. She tells him about the family and how everything’s going. She also tells him she’s afraid that Mr. McCobb is in over his head on something with someone named U-Haul. Demon tells Haillie to stay as far away from U-Haul as possible. June hears where Martha is living not soon after and sends Demon to find her and bring her back to June’s.
U-Haul reappears in this chapter in a way that makes it clear that he is an unsavory character with bad intentions. Demon also keeps working to find Emmy and bring her home, showing again his willingness to take action on behalf of his friends and the Peggots, who serve as a surrogate family to him.
Themes
Demon drives with Maggot to the “crack house” in Woodway where Martha is staying. Martha gets in the car with them when they ask if she wants to go for a ride. She doesn’t ask where they’re going, but when they get about a half mile from June’s house, Martha tries to throw herself out of the moving car. When he gets back home, Demon tells Dori they have to talk. He’s not sure where he’ll go if he leaves. Before Demon says what’s on his mind, Dori tells him that she’s pregnant.
Martha seems to try and jump out of the moving car because she knows where Emmy is or how she is doing and is afraid of facing June. Demon also seems like he’s ready to make a change and leave Dori, but when she tells him she’s pregnant, leaving her seems impossible. This shows how getting sober isn’t just a single decision that Demon can make on his own: it’s a decision he’ll have to make over and over again as his life moves in different directions.
Themes
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