Demon Copperhead

What classic novel is Demon Copperhead most directly modeled on?

• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

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Which author’s narrative voice does Demon Copperhead also echo, besides Dickens?

• Ernest Hemingway

• F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Toni Morrison

• J. D. Salinger, via Mark Twain

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Where is Demon Copperhead set?

• Rural Kentucky during the coal mining decline

• Post-revolutionary Mexico

• A fictional Midwestern farming town

• Lee County, Virginia, during the opioid crisis

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What does Demon’s nickname “Copperhead” refer to?

• His fiery temper and stubbornness

• A copperhead snake species and his copper-colored hair

• His skills as a boxer in high school

• His role as a foster child moving from home to home

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What is Demon Copperhead’s real name, and how does he get his nickname?

• Damon Fields; for his copper-colored hair and a local snake species

• David Fields; for his fiery temper

• Daniel Fields; for his red boxing gloves

• Damon Copper; for his skills as a fighter

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Which of the following Dickens characters finds a modern counterpart in Kingsolver’s novel?

• Uriah Heep, appearing later through Coach Winfield’s storyline

• Oliver Twist, represented by Maggot

• Miss Havisham, represented by Betsy Woodall

• Pip, represented by Sterling Ford

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What central social issue does Demon Copperhead highlight alongside personal struggles?

• The effects of climate change on farming communities

• The Cold War and government censorship

• Big Pharma’s exploitation and the opioid epidemic in Appalachia

• Immigration and racial inequality in the U.S.

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What talent does Demon develop as he grows older, paralleling Dickens’s David Copperfield becoming a writer?

• He becomes a musician

• He becomes a football player

• He becomes a graphic artist

• He becomes a schoolteacher

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How does Kingsolver avoid being overly “preachy” in the novel despite its strong social themes?

• By focusing only on political arguments

• By removing all references to Dickens

• By avoiding controversial issues entirely

• By relying on humor, strong characterization, and vivid detail

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Why was Barbara Kingsolver surprised when Demon Copperhead won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction?

• She did not expect the book to sell well.

• She thought only urban authors typically won the prize.

• She believed her work had long been dismissed due to anti-rural bias.

• She considered the Pulitzer an outdated award.

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