Sounder

Content Warning: This section of the guide features depictions of racism, violence, physical abuse, incarceration, cruelty to animals, and animal illness, and death.

“‘Sounder and me must be about the same age,’ the boy said, tugging gently at one of the coon dog’s ears, and then the other. He felt the importance of the years—as a child measures age—which separated him from the younger children. He was old enough to stand out in the cold and run his fingers over Sounder’s head.”

This passage emphasizes the strong bond between the boy and his dog, Sounder, enhancing the novel’s thematic focus on The Bond between Dogs and Their Humans. This quotation also adds detail to the characterization of the boy by noting his place as the eldest in the family, and the boy’s inclination to compare his own age to Sounder’s indicates that the dog is considered to be one of the family.

“The white man who owned the vast endless fields had scattered the cabins of his [Black] sharecroppers far apart, like flyspecks on a whitewashed ceiling.”

This description establishes the novel’s setting on a large plantation in the South. Because the “white man” owns the plantation and manages the sharecroppers and their residences, the boy and his family have little influence over their work or home. This passage therefore provides necessary context on the physical setting and the social dynamics of the story.

“Sounder was well-named. When he treed a coon or possum in a persimmon tree or on a wild-grape vine, his voice would roll across the flatlands. It wavered through the foothills, louder than any other dog’s in the whole countryside.”

In this scene, the novel provides a positive impression of Sounder and his hunting abilities, and the admiring tone captures the boy’s deep love for his dog. In these early passages, the narrative’s emphasis upon Sounder’s unique voice creates a rich, vibrant baseline that contrasts sharply with the ruined body of the traumatized dog when he finally returns home after being shot by the white men.