Sounder

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

One cold October night, a boy and his father relax in their small cabin with their dog, Sounder. Some of the neighbor children come by to pet Sounder, who is a friendly and intelligent dog. The boy reflects on the fact that he has given up on going to school this term because it is an eight-mile walk from his home on a large plantation. He wants to return to school eventually, but his priority is to go out hunting with Sounder, who is an excellent tracker and hunter. This winter has been particularly windy, making hunting for possums and raccoons difficult.

While the boy’s father stands on the porch and listens for the wind, his mother cracks walnuts to sell. The boy lies in bed and listens to his mother tell him a story. She describes a great flood, and the boy imagines his own home floating atop a great flood and joining other floating homes to create a town. The boy likes this idea, thinking that if he lived in a town, he would not feel so lonely.