Sounder
Sounder is the eponymous character of the text. He is the family pet and the only character who is named. He shows extreme loyalty to his owner, the father of the family, after he is arrested. This results in him being shot by one of the deputies, leaving him terribly injured.
The boy
The boy is the protagonist of the text, and we follow him as he achieves his aim of learning to read. The boy faces a lot of difficulties in this text, including poverty, the arrest of his father, and the death of his father.
The Mother
The mother of the family is shown to suffer considerably due to poverty and hunger. She cannot provide meals for her family, which leads to a lot of stress and upset.
The Father
Similar to the mother, the father struggles seeing his children suffer. As a result, he steals a ham from work for his family to eat but is later arrested for this.
The Teacher
The boy eventually meets a kind teacher who offers to teach him how to read. This will change the boy's life considerably, allowing him to escape his circumstances.
