“Come in Child,” the women said, “He is only dying” (Armstrong, (1969). Sounder laid in the middle of the road full of blood, weak and frail. David Lee did not know if his dog was dead or dying. What he did know was that his heart was wrenching, his dog had been shot, and his dad was on his way to jail. His mother’s words, as unkind and empty as they may have seemed to the reader were peaceful for David Lee. He was young and knew his mother was right. But this did not keep him from wishing, hoping that when morning came, Sounder would be sitting on the porch, wagging his tail, waiting to be fed. His mother’s words ringing in his ears, “Come in, child, he is only dying” still made the knot in his stomach tighten. One would wonder why a mother would say such a thing to her young son. Hopefully the reasons for this comment will be experienced as we look deeper into the story, family and characters of the novel “Sounder”.
Sounder, a Newberry Award winning novel by William H. Armstrong, takes place in Louisiana, during an era when the depression was in its strongest form, and families were barely surviving, especially black families.
David Lee’s mom is a woman of wisdom and was very experienced to the ways of the times. She knew that the death of Sounder was only the beginning of the hardships that was ahead. From the words spoken to David Lee that day, strength grew as well as an attitude of survival. Times were hard. The Civil War had ended, and the excitement and anticipation of freedom filled the hearts of black slaves. They looked at the future for the first time with hope, only to have their hopes and dreams of freedom shattered. With societ ...