"Ellen Foster" by Kaye Gibbons

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, throughout the novel, Ellen experiences multiple, emotionally wrenching experiences. The author points out that the social worker who tried to help did not understand the problem with her abusive father. The paper concludes that the lesson of the story is that, if someone truly loves us for who we are, it neutralizes all the hate from those who should have loved us, but did not.

From the Paper:

"At the start of the novel, Ellen is a child with a child's understanding of family love. The story opens with Ellen saying to herself, ?When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy ... the way I liked best was letting go a poisonous spider in his bed ... Of course I would call the rescue squad and tell them to come quick something's the matter with my daddy.? (p. 1) This opening demonstrates more than Ellen's naive understanding of death. It also demonstrates her difficulty building close relationships with others. She calls her father "my daddy," rather than ?daddy.? She almost refers to him as an object in her environment rather than an important person in her life. Her father is verbally abusive, and Ellen knows her daddy is a "big wind up toy of a man" not even worth talking back to (p. 3), but she also knows this is not how a family should be."

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