Ellen Foster

Ellen’s father is an antagonist in the novel. He was a war veteran, though his type of service or injuries are not discussed. He is on hostile terms with his wife’s mother, who did not approve of their marriage or his treatment of her daughter. He owns a small farm but dislikes the responsibility and so sells when the opportunity presents itself. After his wife’s death, he neglects Ellen and is largely absent. Though he was rude and loud in his behavior, demanding his wife wait on him even when she was ill—Ellen says he behaves more “like a big mean baby than a grown man” (3)—his sexual abuse of Ellen doesn’t begin until after her mother’s death. Ellen hears one of his compatriots suggest that young girls are sexually desirable, at which point he approaches Ellen. It’s also suggested that his first effort at molestation is due to intoxication, since he calls Ellen by her mother’s name. Thereafter, he appears perfectly aware he is abusing his own daughter, though Ellen says she can sometimes get away from him when he is drunk.

Through abuse of alcohol or for other reasons, Ellen’s daddy shows a lack of moral principles, care for others, or regard for himself in the course of the book. When drunk, he approaches Ellen’s school, mangling school property, and shouts for her to come out while he unbuckles his pants and waves money. It would appear he is propositioning his own daughter for sex, after which he is taken to jail. It does not appear he learns from this situation or corrects his behavior, for after Ellen is removed to her grandmother’s home and her grandmother reduces her payments for the land she bought from him, he continues drinking and dies of an aneurysm. 

Ellen’s new mama is an important secondary character and one of the models of a nurturing character. Ellen thinks her last name is Foster when Dora describes new mama’s family as the Foster family. New mama takes in distressed girls and nurtures them in appropriate and supportive ways. She teaches them skills like cooking but does not expect more from them than what is age appropriate. She shows the girls affection and helps them handle their emotions in a soothing manner.

When Ellen challenges her, new mama says she thinks she is pretty even-tempered, and this proves to be the case. She is generous, readily taking Ellen in when she shows up on her door on Christmas with her box of belongings and pursuing the correct legal channels to make Ellen her ward. She also welcomes Starletta warmly into her home as well upon Ellen’s request and agrees to embroider an “S” in some hand towels. Her welcome of Starletta illustrates how new mama is a deeply caring person, suitable for a foster parent. Her calm, kind nature shows in her demeanor. Ellen notes her dignity and says she had “eye that would flush all the ugly out of your system and leave in you too much air to breathe” (57).

Mama’s mama, a secondary character and antagonist in the novel, is Ellen’s maternal grandmother. She objected to her daughter’s marriage and hates Ellen’s daddy, whom she calls trash. Ellen’s grandmother is mean, crafty, selfish, and obsessed with having wealth and fine things. She treats people poorly, not just her employees, but her own daughters as well. After she buys land from Ellen’s daddy and his brothers, she gradually decreases payments to Ellen’s daddy in order to punish and leave him without resources.

Ellen’s grandmother takes her in mostly because the court demands it, but also because she sees an opportunity to punish Ellen for her father’s treatment of Ellen’s mother. Aside from being stingy and not paying her employees properly—and accusing them of stealing from her—mama’s mama is also unabashedly racist, using racist slurs to insult Ellen’s daddy. Far from showing proper affection to Ellen, she threatens to beat her if she cries over her father’s death. Thereafter, she threatens Ellen to take care of her when she is ill. She is largely driven by bitterness and grief.

Starletta is a young girl near Ellen’s age who grew up as her neighbor and is a friend and foil to Ellen. Starletta is the only daughter of two loving and hard-working Black parents who work the cotton fields. She has learned from them to be generous; when Ellen visits, she offers her a biscuit, wondering why Ellen is refusing to eat at their house. She accepts Ellen’s invitations to her birthday party and to spend a weekend with her at her foster home. At school, Starletta and Ellen continue their friendship by sharing confidences. As she matures into a young woman, Starletta confesses to Ellen that she is interested in a white boy, demonstrating her trust in Ellen with an important confidence.

Ellen treats Starletta as if she is scatter-brained, disliking the way Starletta plays with her toys. She thinks Starletta is distractible and easily forgets things. But Starletta proves to be a loyal friend, listening to Ellen’s confidences in turn. Starletta has a stutter and a reluctance to talk, presenting as shy and taciturn.

Julia is a secondary character in the novel and one of the narrative’s examples of a nurturing character. She is the art teacher at Ellen’s school, and when she suspects that Ellen is being abused, she brings Ellen to stay with her and her husband. Ellen describes them as aged “hippies” who have settled down. Ellen is astonished by Julia’s carefree ways but remains grateful that Julia shows her affection and care, giving her a birthday party and helping her spend time with Starletta. Julia helps Ellen prepare for her court appearance and writes Ellen letters after Julia is fired from her job and moves away. Julia provides an example for Ellen of judging people not by their skin color, but by their actions.

These aunts, Ellen’s mother’s sisters, are both foils to her mama and examples of selfish women in the novel. Nadine likes to pretend she is wealthy and sophisticated, but Ellen thinks there is something rude and covetous in the way Nadine likes to look inside other peoples’ houses as she gives demonstrations of household items. Nadine spoils her daughter, Dora, by giving Dora everything she wants. Ellen thinks there is an unhealthy dependence between the mother and daughter.

Aunt Betsy is, in Ellen’s eyes, an idle, selfish woman devoted to her own amusement. She is willing to keep Ellen for a weekend but not take part in her care. All Ellen sees her do is look at magazines. Betsy does not step forward to offer to take care of Ellen when her mother dies, showing that she is not motivated by maternal or nurturing impulses.

Dora, Nadine’s daughter, is a foil to Ellen. Another white girl of Ellen’s age, Dora is cherished by her mother, but in ways that Ellen thinks are unhealthy, and lead Dora to be mean, rude, and selfish. Dora thinks highly of herself, in contrast to Ellen, who often calls herself “old Ellen.” Dora is vain and wants a boyfriend, but is also infantilized by her mother, believes in Santa Claus, and unable to control her bladder. Dora, a younger version of Nadine, Betsy, and mama’s mama, is someone whom Ellen would rather do without.