he unnamed boy is the book's central consciousness and only well-developed character. The boy is first seen as a lonely child, perhaps six or seven years old, who idolizes his father and loves to hunt with him and Sounder. Rather than providing a description of the boy, Armstrong allows the boy's thoughts and observations to reveal that he is strong, curious, and good-hearted. His family is illiterate, and he longs to learn to read. After Sounder is shot, the boy comforts and tries to help him, demonstrating his devotion to the dog.

When his father is unfairly jailed, the boy is adventurous enough to leave his mother and his small cabin and embark on a quest to find his father and to learn how to read.

The boy eventually finds a teacher who becomes a substitute father. The boy develops into an unselfish, hard-working...