Demon Copperhead

by

Barbara Kingsolver

Mrs. McCobb Character Analysis

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 there before Demon arrived. Mrs. McCobb makes Demon go into pawn shops with her things to try and sell them because she thinks that might give him a better deal than they would give her.

Mrs. McCobb Quotes in Demon Copperhead

The Demon Copperhead quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. McCobb or refer to Mrs. McCobb. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Exploitation Theme Icon
).
Chapter 20 Quotes

Miss Barks […] stuck with a different theory. I needed to be more pushy with them. Did she give up on her dreams? No, she worked hard for what she wanted. Did I expect anybody to look out for Damon if he wouldn’t look out for himself? Life is what you make it! Here’s where Miss Barks didn’t grow up: foster care. She had no clue how people can be living right on the edge of what’s doable. If you push too hard, you can barrel yourself over a damn cliff.

Related Characters: Demon Copperhead (speaker), Demon’s Mom , Maggot, Emmy, Dori, Hammerhead Kelly, Miss Barks, Mr. McCobb, Mrs. McCobb
Page Number: 144-145
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Demon Copperhead LitChart as a printable PDF.
Demon Copperhead PDF

Mrs. McCobb Character Timeline in Demon Copperhead

The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. McCobb appears in Demon Copperhead. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 20
Exploitation Theme Icon
Community and Belonging Theme Icon
...Demon he’ll have to get a job to pay his own way. He explains that Mrs. McCobb will take Demon with her to go to pawn shops, making Demon go in with... (full context)
Chapter 21
Exploitation Theme Icon
Class, Social Hierarchy, and Stereotypes Theme Icon
Community and Belonging Theme Icon
...him in gym or pretending to smell the air when he’s close by. Demon tells Mrs. McCobb he’s being tormented at school and that people know he’s living with the McCobbs. Hearing... (full context)
Chapter 23
Exploitation Theme Icon
Community and Belonging Theme Icon
...and puts it in a jar. Eventually, the McCobbs decide they’ll have to live with Mrs. McCobb ’s parents, which means DSS will have to find Demon a new foster family. (full context)