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Summary
Sections 31-35
31
Mrs. Peggot tracks Demon down and asks to see him. Though Demon initially wants to respond with bitterness, he becomes emotional and agrees. While the visit makes Demon feel a sense of home, he also feels like a stranger. He and Maggot are awkward with each other, especially since Maggot has further embraced his personal expression, wearing dark eyeliner and growing his hair out. They update Demon on Maggot’s mom, who was recently denied parole after yelling back at a guard who had been tormenting her. They also tell him that Emmy and June often ask about him. Both now have boyfriends—June’s is a pharmaceutical representative named Kent from Knoxville, which Maggot sarcastically refers to as “selling drugs.”
On Demon’s birthday, the Peggots take him to June’s house. Emmy has grown up even more, now appearing almost ten years older than him and Maggot. She acts as though nothing romantic ever happened between her and Demon. She confides that she hates Kent, but she acknowledges that June likes him because of the extravagant gifts he gives to nurses and doctors in exchange for promoting his pills. When Maggot brings up her own “boyfriend,” Emmy dismisses it, claiming Hammer is just a friend. Hammerhead Kelly is a former cousin by marriage, but has been nearly adopted into the Peggott family, similar to Demon.
When they rejoin the adults, Kent and June are enthusiastically lecturing the Peggots about the safety of his pills, arguing that they’re non-addictive and a sign that doctors are finally taking pain seriously. Kent even references the infamous pain chart as part of his pitch. Mr. Peg reluctantly agrees to take the pills, but on the drive home, Mrs. Peggot tells him in no uncertain terms that if he brings them into the house, she will flush them.
32
As Christmas approaches, Demon becomes anxious, fearing he’ll be kicked out. He’s learned that this time of year often reminds people who belongs in their family—and who doesn’t. During a conversation with Angus, he discovers that she’s never celebrated Christmas because her mother died around that time, and her father has avoided it ever since. Determined to give her a proper Christmas, Demon insists they celebrate, even if it doesn’t involve Coach. Together, they steal a tree from Creaky’s property, an act of rebellion that allows Demon to confront and claim power over his painful past. They exchange gifts: Angus gets Demon manga and stylish clothes to help him fit in at school, while Demon gives her a black hat with a veil from a pawnshop, which she adores. He also draws her portrait as a superhero, Black Leather Angel, whose superpower is reading minds and compelling people to speak their truths.
Shortly after Christmas, Coach calls Demon into his office. Convinced he’s about to be kicked out, Demon steels himself for the worst. Instead, Coach surprises him by saying he’s noticed Demon’s talent for football and his ability to follow orders. He wants Demon to stay indefinitely and try out for the football team. Demon is ecstatic at the prospect of having a stable home—even if it’s just for a few more months.
33
Demon reflects on the two golden times in his life: his early childhood with his mother and the Peggots, and now, during seventh and eighth grade living with Coach. He’s thriving at school—he’s popular, has friends, and is finally building a stable life. Mr. Armstrong, the guidance counselor, introduces Demon to his wife, Ms. Annie, the high school art teacher, who offers to help him improve his drawing skills. Despite his success, Demon finds himself bracing for the inevitable moment when everything might fall apart.
One day, U-Haul has a strange conversation with Demon, expressing jealousy over how quickly Demon has been embraced by the family, despite U-Haul’s years of loyal service. U-Haul warns Demon not to get too comfortable, but Demon doesn’t need the reminder—he already knows how precarious his situation is. His grandmother visits during this time and grills Coach about Demon’s grades and his involvement in football. Though she approves of what she sees, she puts the household on notice, making it clear she’s still watching.
Coach takes Demon to football camp and places him on the JV team as a second-string tight end. By fall, Demon is proudly wearing his jersey to school, soaking in the adoration football players receive. He’s filled with excitement, knowing that in just a year, he’ll be playing for Coach on the high school team.
34
Demon experiences a series of firsts: his first date, his first dentist appointment, and his first football game. He’s settling into life with Coach, though he and Angus occasionally have to carry Coach upstairs when he passes out from drinking, which happens more often in the off-season.
At school, Mr. Armstrong assigns a family background project and shares his own story. He explains that he moved to the South from Chicago to play the banjo, a fact that surprises the students. When they remark that they’ve never heard of a Black man playing the banjo, Mr. Armstrong corrects them, explaining that the banjo was invented by Black people and was historically significant in their culture. He also provides a sobering history lesson: there were once far more Black people in Appalachia, but many were driven out or killed due to racist violence. They initially came for mining jobs, but as those dried up, many joined the Great Migration to cities like Chicago.
The discussion shifts to stereotypes about mountaineers. Mr. Armstrong points out that mountain people are often portrayed as degenerates to justify exploiting their land and resources. One day, when students laugh at a truck displaying both a Confederate flag and an American flag, Mr. Armstrong uses it as a teaching moment, explaining that the Confederates fought against America and that the combination is contradictory. When some students defend the Confederate flag as "heritage," he challenges them to think about whose heritage they’re defending, noting that many mountain people weren’t represented in the vote to join the Confederacy and that some even formed Union militias.
For the project, Demon learns more about the Melungeons, his own heritage. Mr. Dick writes a family history for him, explaining that the term "Melungeon" was created to label people of mixed heritage during the era of the one-drop rule. Because the term didn’t initially exist, the rights of Melungeons couldn’t legally be taken away until later racial classifications were imposed.
Demon’s popularity continues to grow. He has so many girlfriends and crushes that he keeps a notebook to track them all. Among them, he still harbors feelings for Emmy, though she no longer seems interested, and he also develops a crush on Ms. Annie, who is helping him refine the technical aspects of his art. Meanwhile, Angus decides to start an academic team, but her proposal is rejected by the school board. Frustrated, she raises the issue with the principal, and Mr. Armstrong supports her, pointing out that the school board, dominated by coal industry figures, doesn’t prioritize education. When he mentions that they lack resources to compete with other schools, the students counter that the other kids are just smarter than them.
Demon nearly sees the ocean on a Gifted and Talented trip, a lifelong dream of his, but the trip is cut short when a girl gets sick, and they have to turn back.
35
Demon begins getting rides from Mr. Maldo, the high school janitor, to attend his two-hour art class with Ms. Annie. His crush on her deepens, especially after discovering that Ms. Annie has lunch and coffee breaks with Mr. Maldo, treating him with respect and kindness when no one else does.
In Mr. Armstrong’s class, almost everyone discovers that their ancestors worked in the coal mines. Men in Lee County tend to romanticize the past, while the women focus on the harsh realities of black lung, fatal accidents, and the men who came home permanently disabled. Mr. Armstrong enriches their understanding with videos about labor unions and the Battle of Blair Mountain. He explains that the red bandannas worn by the miners gave rise to the term "redneck," a word that should symbolize pride in their history rather than the derision it often carries today.
The discussion turns contentious when Bettina, a privileged girl from a politically connected family that profited from coal, speaks about all the "good" the mines did for Lee County and dismisses unemployment as laziness. Mr. Armstrong dismantles her argument, explaining that the coal companies deliberately stifled other industries by buying up all the land and refusing to allow factories or mills to be built. They controlled the schools but let education decay, reasoning it wasn’t necessary for mining jobs. The systemic exploitation left the community with few opportunities when the mining industry collapsed.
This revelation shifts the students’ perspectives. For the first time, their experiences begin to make sense: the unemployed fathers who can’t find work, the mothers struggling to apply for food stamps, and the constant presence of predatory Army recruiters outside the high school, preying on their economic desperation. Demon and his classmates see the forces that shaped their lives more clearly, though the knowledge is as heavy as it is illuminating.
Analysis
Mr. Armstrong’s classroom discussions serve as a microcosm of the larger sociopolitical forces that have shaped Lee County and its inhabitants. By tracing the history of coal mining and its devastating impact on the community, these lessons illuminate the systemic exploitation that perpetuates cycles of poverty and despair. The revelation that coal companies deliberately stifled other industries, controlled education, and manipulated public perception reshapes Demon’s understanding of his environment. The historical framing of terms like “redneck” as symbols of pride contrasts sharply with the derision they carry in modern usage, highlighting how narratives are co-opted to disempower communities.
These lessons also resonate on a personal level for Demon and his classmates, offering a framework to contextualize their struggles. The systemic oppression they face is no longer an abstract reality but a lived experience rooted in historical exploitation. This newfound understanding fosters a mix of anger and clarity, as they see their community’s challenges not as personal failures but as the result of deliberate disenfranchisement.
Throughout these chapters, the weight of personal and cultural narratives is a recurring theme. Demon’s exploration of his Melungeon heritage, facilitated by Mr. Dick, connects his personal identity to a broader historical context of marginalization. The classification of Melungeons during the era of the one-drop rule parallels the systemic labeling and dehumanization faced by Appalachians more broadly. Demon’s discovery of his heritage underscores the power of naming and the reclamation of identity in the face of oppression.
Similarly, Mr. Armstrong’s teachings challenge dominant cultural narratives, encouraging students to critically examine the stories they’ve been told about their history and identity. Mr. Armstrong dismantles the romanticized notion of the Confederate flag as a symbol of heritage, explaining that it represents a history of oppression and rebellion against the United States. His teaching resonates with Demon and his classmates, who begin to question whose heritage the flag truly represents and how it aligns with their own histories as Appalachian people, many of whom have Unionist roots. This moment is particularly significant because it reframes their understanding of identity and pride, connecting it to their community’s resistance and resilience rather than to a distorted legacy of the Confederacy.
Mr. Armstrong’s role as a Black guidance counselor adds another layer of significance to these discussions. Demon, who is unaccustomed to seeing Black men in positions of authority outside of sports or entertainment, is initially struck by his presence. His ability to connect the history of Black people in Appalachia—such as their role in coal mining and their eventual displacement due to systemic racism—to the broader history of exploitation in the region reinforces the idea that their struggles are interconnected. Armstrong’s identity and position make him a crucial figure in helping Demon and his classmates see beyond the stereotypes and narratives that have been imposed on them, encouraging them to reclaim their history and find strength in their shared heritage.
The dramatic irony of Kent, a pharmaceutical representative, enthusiastically pushing his pills as “safe” while June supports him, highlights the devastating effects of misinformation and complicity in the opioid epidemic. Kent’s references to pain charts and his persuasive arguments about non-addictive medications echo the broader narrative that pharmaceutical companies used to flood Appalachia with opioids, devastating entire communities. June’s complicity is particularly striking because, as a nurse and a caretaker for her community, she should be aware of the risks. Instead, her alignment with Kent—likely influenced by his charm and the perceived benefits of the medications—makes her a part of the problem, even as she genuinely believes she’s helping.
The irony deepens when June, who works tirelessly to care for others and improve their health, inadvertently invites the very force that will devastate her family. Her trust in Kent mirrors the broader trust Appalachian communities placed in doctors and pharmaceutical companies, only to be betrayed. Once the pills enter the household, they act like the proverbial fox in the henhouse, spreading chaos. Emmy and Maggot succumb to the drugs, and Demon, whose life is already precarious, falls victim as well. This cascading effect mirrors the opioid epidemic in Appalachia, where initial trust in the system gave way to widespread devastation.
