Ellen Foster

As a narrative device, the unreliable narrator proves to have omitted important story points or misled a reader into an interpretation that proves not to be true. Unreliable narrators add suspense to a work as they make the reader question how far the narrator is to be believed. Ellen is not an unreliable narrator in the sense that she intentionally misleads, but in the sense that, for all her experiences, she is still rooted in a child’s viewpoint and does not have all the information, or the perspective, available to an adult. This emerges humorously at times in places where she attempts to instruct an adult on proper behavior, as when she tells new mama what to say to welcome Starletta or informs the bus driver she will have a Black friend and he is not to make an issue of the color of her skin. The result Is gently amusing and a painful reminder that Ellen is still developing the resources to process the traumas she has experienced. The device adds interest, pathos, and humor to the novel.