.
Ellen refused to spend the night with Starletta's family. She constantly feared that skin color was contagious. As she grew older, she learned that in the grand scheme of things, color did not matter and all that mattered was an individual's character. .
Ellen continued spending her day's with Starletta and grew to spend the night, but only in the comfort of her clothes and a sleeping bag. This allowed her to escape her father for some time, but he was still there when she returned home.
The first intervention regarding her father was made when her art teacher, Julia, discovered bruises on her arm. Julia and her husband were the first to take Ellen in. This lasted until Ellen's maternal grandmother fought for custody and won. Ellen does not want to go with her cruel and cold-hearted grandmother, who blames Ellen for the death of her daughter and son-in-law. As a result of this abhorrence, the grandmother sought revenge by making Ellen a mere slave in the cotton fields. .
Ellen's father dies soon after she is placed with her grandmother, and although she did not anticipate sadness with her father's death; she sheds a single tear for him. Her grandmother witnesses this and is furious that she would show emotion for such a horrible man and tells her to never cry again. This behavior terrifies Ellen so that she is unable to cry again. .
Ellen's grandmother becomes ill and passes, and Ellen is sent to live with her aunt, Nadine, and her cousin, Dora. Nadine and Dora look down on Ellen for being cheap. Ellen sees Nadine and Dora as being false and pompous, as they have nothing more than she. .
As Christmas comes around, Ellen is still living with her aunt and cousin. She cannot afford to buy a gift so she paints them a picture of two cats. Nadine shows sincere appreciation for this picture, and later, she and Dora make fun of the fact that Ellen would give them such a gift. Ellen's thought of falseness regarding her aunt and cousin is verified at this point.
