Ellen Foster | Ellen Foster

At a glance:

Author: Kaye Gibbons
First Published: 1987
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
Time of Work: The mid-1980’s
Setting: The southeastern United States
Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Bildungsroman, Domestic realism
Subjects: Girls, Maturation or coming of age, Family or family life, Suicide, Abused persons, Abandoned children, 1980’s, Alcoholism or alcoholics, Child abuse, Substance abuse, Adoption or adopted children, Southwest, Orphans or orphanages
Locales: Southeast (U.S.)

Ellen Foster, the protagonist and narrator. Eleven years old when the story begins, Ellen never reveals her original last name. She has taken the name Foster to identify with her chosen family, whom she knows, at first, only as “the foster family.” Unusually perceptive and resourceful, Ellen, like many abused children, tries to be self- sufficient. Throughout her struggles, she never compromises her integrity. Ellen’s strength, however, is sometimes a disguise for real suffering. Her hatred of her abusive father and her desire to find a loving family...

Ellen Foster | Ellen Foster

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

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