Part 1: Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

Four-year-old Essie Mae lives in a two-room shack with her father, mother, and younger sister. Her parents do all they can to make the structure comfortable for the family, but most of the decorations consist of mismatched bits of wallpaper stuck up with tacks and pieces of cardboard stuffed in the cracks. Essie Mae's parents work in the fields from daylight to dark all week except Sundays. While her parents are working, Essie Mae and her little sister, Adline, are watched by George Lee, Essie Mae's eight-year-old uncle. George Lee sets fire to the house one afternoon, but Essie Mae is blamed for the fire and is beaten by her father.

Essie Mae's father spends his free time gambling, and begins to see a mulatto woman named Florence. Even though Essie Mae's Mama engages in physical fights with her...