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Demon Copperhead
Demon, born Damon Fields, is the novel’s protagonist. He is based on David Copperfield from Dickens’s novel, David Copperfield. Demon is born in a trailer to a young mother (Mom) who is…
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Demon’s Mom
Demon’s mom is young when she has Demon. During Demon’s childhood, Mom works at Walmart and tries, at various times, to enter recovery from addiction. After she becomes involved in an abusive relationship, one…
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Maggot
Maggot, born Matt Peggot, is Demon’s closest friend growing up. They spend days together playing in the nearby creek, and Demon seems to spend as much time at Maggot’s house as his own. When…
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Stoner
Murrell Stone, nicknamed Stoner, is Mom’s boyfriend who is physically and verbally abusive to Mom and Demon. After Mom dies from an overdose, Demon becomes convinced that she had returned to drugs in…
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Mrs. Peggot
Nance Peggot, more often referred to as Mrs. Peggot, is Maggot’s grandmother who, along with Mr. Peggot, helps raise Maggot after his mother is sent to prison. The novel portrays Mrs. Peggot as…
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Mr. Peggot
Mr. Peggot, Mrs. Peggot’s husband, is a kind and patient man, He becomes Maggot’s adoptive father after Maggot’s mother is sent to prison. He helps raise Demon, too, and Demon has fond…
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Emmy
Emmy is the daughter of Humvee, who passed away before the novel takes place. After Humvee died, the Peggots took in Emmy. When Maggot’s mom was sent to prison, though, the Peggots couldn’t raise…
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Aunt June
June is Maggot and Emmy’s aunt who becomes Emmy’s adoptive mother. June is a nurse in Knoxville who then moves back to Lee County to be closer to her family. She dates a pharmaceutical…
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Angus
Angus, born Agnes Winfield, is Coach Winfield’s daughter. She does well in school and initially plans to leave Lee County to go to a four-year college as soon as possible. She is portrayed as…
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Fast Forward
Fast Forward is the larger-than-life football star who Demon first meets at Crickson’s farm. At first, Fast Forward seems charming to everyone who meets him, and Demon thinks of him as a kind of…
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Coach Winfield
Coach Winfield is the widower of one of the girls Betsy. After Demon finds Betsy, she identifies Coach as someone who might help raise Demon and arranges for Demon to live with Coach and…
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Dori
Dori is Demon’s girlfriend. They meet when Dori comes into the feed store where Demon works during his sophomore year of high school. Demon is almost instantly in love. The two begin dating, and…
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Tommy Waddell
Tommy is one of the foster boys whom Demon meets at Mr. Crickson’s farm. The novel portrays Tommy as a sweet, kind, caring, and gentle person. Demon loses contact with Tommy for a while…
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Betsy Woodall
Betsy is Demon’s paternal grandmother. Betsy is suspicious and distrustful of men, and the novel intimates that she survived an abusive relationship when she was younger. She is deeply invested in her community and…
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Dr. Watts
Dr. Watts is the doctor for the football team. After Demon injures his leg during a game, Dr. Watts prescribes him a regiment of painkillers that leads to Demon becoming addicted to opioids. Later…
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Kent
Kent is Aunt June’s boyfriend who is a pharmaceutical representative. Kent’s job consists of trying to get doctors to prescribe opioid painkillers more often. As Aunt June sees more and more of the damage…
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Hammerhead Kelly
Hammerhead Kelly (called Hammer) is a cousin in the Peggot family, related through marriage. He harbors a long-time infatuation with Emmy, and the two ultimately begin dating. Not long after, though, Emmy leaves Hammer…
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Miss Barks
Miss Barks is one of Demon’s case managers through the Department of Social Services (DSS). She finds Demon various foster placements and secures the social security payment for Demon that he’s entitled to receive…
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Mr. Crickson
Mr. Crickson is the foster parent whom Demon first goes to live with after Mom overdoses. The novel portrays him as strict, mean, and exploitative, as he forces his foster children to work long hours…
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Mr. McCobb
Mr. McCobb is one of Demon’s foster parents. Even though the McCobbs receive money each month for fostering Demon, Mr. McCobb insists that Demon work to pay rent in their house, and he finds…
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Mrs. McCobb
Mrs. McCobb is one of Demon’s foster parents. The McCobbs make Demon stay in a back area of the house—the space is filthy, and Demon suspects that the McCobb family dog used to sleep…
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Dick
Dick is Betsy’s brother and Demon’s great-uncle. He uses a wheelchair to get around and is doted on by Betsy and Jane Ellen. Dick is a thoughtful, caring person who is obsessed with…
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U-Haul
U-Haul, born Ryan Pyles, is Coach Winfield’s assistant who will later become an assistant football coach. U-Haul is jealous of the attention Demon gets from Coach and is sexually interested in Angus, who…
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Mr. Armstrong
Mr. Armstrong is an English teacher at Demon’s middle school. He recognizes that Demon is a strong student and recommends him to the gifted and talented program. He is known as a truth-teller at…
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Ms. Annie
Ms. Annie is the art teacher at the high school. In middle school, Demon studies with her twice a week. She encourages Demon to pursue his talent for drawing. Demon describes Ms. Annie as a…
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Mr. Ghali
Mr. Ghali is the owner of Golly’s Market. When Demon lives with the McCobbs, he works at the trash heap behind Golly’s Market. The trash heap is run separately from the market, and Demon fears…
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Rose Dartell
Rose Dartell is one of Fast Forward’s friends, though Fast Forward seems to treat her only with contempt. Rose seems jealous of Demon for the attention that Fast Forward gives him. Rose tells Demon…
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Vester
Vester is Dori’s father. When he is undergoing treatment for cancer, Dori takes his leftover prescription painkillers and sells them so she can buy herself more opioids and other drugs she prefers. Vester dies…
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Martha
Martha is Maggot's friend, but Emmy also spends time for her. All three are involved in heavy drug use, and Martha ends up staying at a "crack house" for a time. After Emmy disappears…
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Minor Characters
Mariah Peggot
Mariah Peggot is Maggot’s mother. She was sent to prison after assaulting Maggot’s father, Romeo Blevins, with an X-Acto knife after enduring months of his physical abuse. Romeo lies during Mariah’s trial and doesn’t have to serve time, meanwhile Mariah is sent to prison.
Romeo Blevins
Romeo Blevins is Maggot’s father. After suffering months of abuse at Romeo’s hands, Maggot’s mother assaults him with an X-Acto knife. Though her attack could be seen as a form of self-defense, Romeo lies during the trial, and the court sends Mariah to prison.
Humvee
Humvee is Emmy’s dad and Mr. Peggot and Mrs. Peggot’s son. He died under mysterious circumstances, and the Peggots try to avoid talking about him.
Swap-Out
Swap-Out is one of the foster boys whom Demon meets on Mr. Crickson’s farm. Swap-Out later reappears as one of Demon’s fellow workers at the trash pile behind the convenience store. Swap-Out is an expert climber, and the novel also intimates that he suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome.
Baggy Eyes
“Baggy Eyes” is the name that Demon gives to one of his other caseworkers at DSS. She is depicted throughout the novel as negligent and uncaring, content to accept the lies Demon’s foster parents tell her.
Mattie Kate
Mattie Kate is the housekeeper at Coach Winfield’s house. She cooks meals, does the laundry, and helps take care of the kids.
Big Bear Howe
Big Bear Howe is one of Fast Forward’s closest friends. Big Bear played on the offensive line when Fast Forward was the quarterback on the high school team.
Mouse
Mouse is a makeup artist and one of Fast Forward’s friends . She helps Fast Forward smuggle and deal drugs.
Haillie McCobb
Haillie is one of the children in the McCobb family. She is the only one who develops a sort of friendship with Demon and keeps Demon informed things that her parents won’t tell him.
Pinkie
Pinkie is Tommy’s boss at the newspaper.
Jane Ellen
Jane Ellen is the eleventh of the 11 girls Betsy raised. She drives Demon to meet Coach Winfield for the first time. She, Betsy, and Mr. Dick visit Demon at Coach Winfield's house every few months to see how he's adjusting to living there.
