Genre
Coming-of-age novel
Setting and Context
The novel is set in Lee County, Virginia, with scenes in Murder Valley and Knoxville, Tennessee
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is written in the first-person perspective. It is narrated by its protagonist, Demon.
Tone and Mood
The tone of the novel is sympathetic and humorous. The mood is dark and tragic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the novel is Demon Copperhead. The antagonist is Fast Forward.
Major Conflict
The main conflict of the narrative is Demon's suffering from the forces of generational poverty and addiction.
Climax
The climax of the novel occurs when Fast Forward and Hammer Kelly die at the gorge.
Foreshadowing
Demon's love for Angus is foreshadowed in the way he looks at her eyes.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel makes allusions to Catcher in the Rye, Moby Dick, and various works of Shakespeare. It is based on the Charles Dickens novel, David Copperfield, and features a brief discussion of that book's themes.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is parallelism between the lives of Demon, Emmy, Maggot, and Fast Forward, all of whom are essentially orphaned at a young age. The difference between them, as Demon notes, is that Fast Forward ends up becoming remorselessly cruel as a result of his abandonment.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The football team is personified as a smile with missing teeth at the novel's end, as Demon recalls all the people he has lost.
