Child abuse as seen through social conflicts in Kaye Gibbons’ Ellen Foster (1987)

Abstract

Child abuse is a significant worldwide problem that still occurs today, where children are violated in their own homes. This study aims to identify the issue of child abuse through the analysis of social conflicts experienced by the protagonist in a novel entitled Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons. The novel itself tells the story of Ellen, a little girl who grows up in a dysfunctional family. After her abusive father drives her mother to commit suicide, Ellen is forced to move from one relative’s house to another’s in search of a new home that can give her the affection she needs. However, Ellen continues to experience abuse every time she stays with her own family. In the end, she finds the affection she needs in a foster family. Using the theory of child abuse by Robinson and Breaux (2019), the analysis shows that the root of the social conflicts between Ellen and her family is the abuse she receives from them. This leads to the conclusion that a family, which is expected to be a place where a child can receive love, care, and affection, may sometimes fail in this role and instead be the one who subjects the child to abuse. The novel might thus serve a reminder for the readers that child abuse is still a serious problem today which needs to be handled comprehensively.