Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews February 15, 2023 February 8, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
When Ellen arrives at Starletta's house after having fled from her father, she offers Starletta's mother a dollar bill in exchange for a place to stay. Starletta's mother tells Ellen that she cannot take money from children but that she is welcome to stay anyway. When she asks Ellen what is wrong, Ellen wonders why she even has to ask, as it is obvious that she has run from her father's physical and sexual abuse. However, to avoid a long explanation, Ellen lies that she had been locked out of the house.
When Ellen wakes in the morning, she is surprised because she does not "feel like [she] had slept in a colored house," even though she slept atop the covers with her jacket on. Ellen returns home and waits in the woods until she sees her father and his friends drive away in his truck. After they leave, she goes inside, gathers up her belongings in a box, and calls her mother's sister, her aunt Betsy. Ellen calls Betsy because she has recently lost her husband and thinks that she will want company, especially because she does not have any children of her own. Ellen asks Betsy if she can stay with her, and Betsy obliges, saying it will be nice to have a girl around the house.
Ellen enjoys herself while she is at her aunt's house, as Betsy is always telling Ellen to "make herself at home," which Ellen gladly does. As the end of the weekend nears, Betsy asks Ellen who is coming to pick her up. Ellen is confused, as she had planned to stay with Betsy permanently. Betsy laughs and tells Ellen that her visit had only been meant to last for the weekend and that now she must go home, though she can visit again sometime soon.
After Betsy has driven her home, Ellen vows to lock herself up in her room to stay safe. Sometimes, though, she forgets to lock her bedroom door and her father forces his way in, but often Ellen is strong enough to push him down and wriggle away. Other times, he will stand outside of her door and taunt her. Ellen perfects the act of breathing or moving without a sound to avoid giving her presence away to him.
On Ellen's first day back at school, her teacher notices the bruise on her arm her father has given her and arranges for Ellen to live temporarily with her art teacher, as there is no one else to care for her.
On reflection, Ellen admires how her new mama pays cash for her groceries and never seems to run out of money. She also remarks at how she makes everything from scratch because it is more nutritious.
Please wait while we process your payment