The Morgan family had hardly anything of its own. Even the Louisiana land
they farmed belonged to someone else. Half their days they went hungry, or made
do with corn mush. The mother (Cicely Tyson) did laundry to help
make ends meet. But this 1930s ... moreAfrican-American family did have a dog, Sounder,
a great hunter and loyal companion. Sounder doesn't "talk" or pant around the
dinner table; he's affectionate and joyful, but when he's not needed he stays
under the Morgans' ramshackle house. His presence is so understated that there's
even a great big chunk of this movie from which Sounder is missing, recovering
in the woods from a viciously inflicted bullet wound. The movie bears his name,
but it's only nominally a dog film. It is what he represents that makes this
Oscar-nominated film such a classic. Virtually everyone in this community is a
racist. Injustice prevails. But to Sounder, the Morgan family is equal to any
man or woman. He'd willingly die for these people. Simply put, the dog is
hope.
