Character Analysis: "Ellen Foster"

"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy" (1). Ellen Foster hated her dad, and just wanted to be apart of a family without him. Ellen's mother committed suicide when she was just eleven. That left her responsible for paying the bills, shopping for groceries, and even cooking for herself, because her alcoholic father only cared for his drinks. Throughout the novel written by Kaye Gibbons, Ellen Foster searches for a …

…anyone. When Ellen first sees her new mama in church, she has a gut feeling that that is who she belongs with. With all her bravery, Ellen nocks on her new mama's door and asks if she can stay and be apart of that family and Ellen will give her her whole life savings, one hundred and sixty six dollars. Ellen finally finds a place where she belongs and can call home, her perfect family.