Explore this guide to the Demon Copperhead characters for an in-depth guide to the nearly two dozen important characters in the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Oprah’s Book Club selection by Barbara Kingsolver that gave a very memorable identity to the plight of many Americans in Appalachia.
Plus get a free printable PDF to download and refer to when you are reading this literary fiction book!
Demon Copperhead Characters Explained
Demon Copperhead was not just a five-star read for me — it was one of the top books of the 21st century. (Read more in my review of Demon Copperhead.)
This guide is meant to aid the reader. There are necessarily some spoilers because the characters cannot be described without conveying their role, which gives some plot details. Still, I tried not to give away too much, but rather just assist the reader in consuming this very character-driven book.
There are some spoilers below, but major plot points in Demon Copperhead are not revealed.
Damon Fields (“Demon Copperhead”): The protagonist of the novel, which begins at his birth as a poor boy in Lee County, Virginia (Appalachia)
“Mom” Fields: Demon’s single mother, a poor and drug-addicted teen
Mr. and Mrs. Peggott: an older couple who are neighbors, and often caretakers, to Demon in his childhood years
Matt Peggott “(Maggot”): Demon’s closest childhood friend and the Peggotts’ grandson, for whom they care while his mother is in jail
Murrell Stone (“Stoner”): Demon’s stepfather, who is abusive to Demon and his mother
Emmy: Maggot’s cousin, a good friend to both Demon and Maggott
June Peggott: Emmy’s aunt and guardian, a nurse and a stable parental figure who is against the opioid epidemic
Miss Barks: Demon’s social worker, who is overworked and underpaid
Mr. Crickson (“Creaky”): Demon’s first foster parent, a struggling tobacco farmer who uses foster children for labor
Tommy Waddell (“Waddles”): Demon’s friend in foster care, a genuinely good person
Sterling Ford (“Fast Forward”): Demon’s friend in foster care and the high school quarterback — a charismatic star with a dark side, including drug use
Mr. and Mrs. McCobb: Demon’s chronically insolvent second foster parents, who are both abusive and neglectful
Betsy Woodall: Demon’s paternal grandmother, who cares for girls and gets him into a better foster placement
Dick: Betsy’s brother, a smart man who is physically handicapped
Coach Winfield: Demon’s football coach and his final caretaker, who is generally well-intentioned, but struggles with alcohol addiction, grief, and an unhealthy obsession with football
Agnes (“Angus”): Coach Winfield’s daughter, who is bright, competent, loving, and anti-drugs
Ryan Pyles (“U-Haul”): a “helper” of the Wilfields who takes advantage of them
Hammerhead Kelly (“Hammer”): a distant Peggott cousin by marriage and Emmy’s first “real” boyfriend
Dori: Demon’s drug-addicted high school girlfriend
Frequently Asked Questions
In Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, Aunt June is Emmy’s aunt and guardian, a nurse, and a stable parental figure who is against the opioid epidemic.
No. To date, no movie deals based on Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver have been announced.
In Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, Angus is a girl. She is Coach Winfield’s daughter, and her real name is Agnes.
Sterling Ford (“Fast Forward”) is Demon’s friend in foster care and the high school quarterback. He is a charismatic star with a dark side, including drug use.
Maggot represents the struggle of those trapped in a cycle of poverty and addiction. He shows the harsh realities and limited choices faced by people like him.
Conclusion
These Demon Copperhead characters are part and parcel of a once-in-a-lifetime type of book recommendation.
If you read it with your book club, be sure to check out these discussion questions for Demon Copperhead,
Keep the conversation going! Share your thoughts or any remaining questions you have in the comments below.
