Sounder

In the novel’s opening chapters, the author introduces his characters using simple language, focusing on their actions and revealing more about their daily life in order to establish a baseline. When the author describes the father and the boy on their cabin porch one evening, his tone is matter-of-fact yet implicitly reflective. As Armstrong states: “The father left the porch and went to the woodpile at the edge of the rim of light. The boy followed, and each gathered a chunk-stick for the cabin stove” (11). While the author’s narration is largely chronological, objectively explaining events that happen over a few days’ time, he sometimes refers to ongoing events, providing a glimpse into the family’s life and the general activities on the plantation:

Sometimes on Sundays the boy walked with his parents to set awhile at one of the distant cabins. Sometimes they went to the meetin’ house. And there was a school too. But it was far away at the edge of town. Its term began after harvest and ended at planting time. (9)

By referring to his protagonist as simply “the boy” and his parents as “mother” and “father,” the author imbues his work with a sense of timelessness and universality. Without names, these characters more easily represent a whole group of people—in this case, Black sharecroppers in the American South during the 19th century. Their dog Sounder, however, is the only character who does have a name, and the author describes his appearance and behavior more thoroughly than any other, deliberately showing both admiration and sympathy for him as a key protagonist in the story.

The author’s glowing descriptions of Sounder also establish his theme on The Bond between Dogs and Their Humans. By explaining that Sounder is worshipped by the boy as a majestic dog even though his physical appearance is commonplace, the author portrays Sounder through the boy’s loving eyes to show the depths of their mutual connection. As the narrative states, “What the boy saw in Sounder would have been totally missed by an outsider. The dog was not much to look at—a mixture of Georgia redbone hound and bulldog,” but his voice was “louder and clearer than any pureblood redbone” (10). Just like the boy, the rest of the family also appreciates Sounder’s skill as a hunter, and it is clear that the dog is a productive member of the family. Whenever the dog presents fresh-caught wild game to the family, “[h]is master’s calloused hand would rub the great neck, and he’d say, Good Sounder, good Sounder” (10). These scenes amply suggest that Sounder is both a comforting companion and a source of practical help for the family’s survival. 

As these early chapters demonstrate the boy’s interest in stories and his desire to learn to read, Armstrong uses a series of intimate scenes to convey The Power of Storytelling. The boy longs to hear his mother tell him the biblical stories that she learned at the local meeting house, and her tales ignite his imagination and introduce him to a range of new ideas. By highlighting these stories as a form of comfort and stimulation, Armstrong sets the stage for additional development in this arena. For instance, when the boy feels “night loneliness” (12), the Bible stories and songs make him feel better. His determination to learn to read shows his deep interest in stories and in finding creative ways to improve his life. As he says to himself, “One day I will learn to read” (16), and he also dreams of owning a book with stories in it so that “he wouldn’t be lonesome even if his mother didn’t sing” (16). By revealing the boy’s inner thoughts on the topic, Armstrong emphasizes the depths of the protagonist’s relative isolation from the wider world, emphasizing his vulnerability and hinting that he still has much to learn of life’s harsher aspects.

Notably, Armstrong contrasts the serenity of these early scenes with the sudden violence of the inciting incident that overturns the boy’s world. When the boy’s father is suddenly arrested for the theft of a ham and several pork sausages, the author’s descriptions emphasize the unfair and hostile dynamic between him and the men who are arresting him. This scene therefore focuses on the ingrained racism of the American South and highlights the traumatic experiences involved in Surviving Racism and Hostility. Although the details of the scene suggest that the father did steal the ham and sausages, the family’s state of poverty provides an implicit reason for the theft, and the author makes it clear that the deputies punish the father more harshly because of his race. The deputies insult him with a racial slur and tell him, “You gonna wear nothing but stripes pretty soon. Big, wide black and white stripes. Easy to hit with a shotgun” (19). As the men brutally chain the father to the wagon and shoot Sounder, their needless cruelty serves as a grimly realistic portrayal of the racist violence and injustice that has often haunted Black families residing in the South.