Chapter 6 Summary

Left all alone, Ellen celebrates Christmas Day at Starletta's home, which is right next door. Here, Ellen gets to experience what a healthy and loving family is all about, despite their meager income. (They are cotton pickers.) Despite her fondness for them, Ellen harbors some hidden abhorrence for their less than clean, one-room home (no bathroom, no TV). In fact, Starletta is the only member of her family who can read.

Ellen stereotypes Black people as having huge, extended families, all of whom live in a single home, and of buying liquor from her father, neither of which pertains to Starletta's family. Unlike at Ellen's house, Santa has visited Starletta's home, and Starletta wants Ellen to play with her new toys. Ellen refuses until Starletta cleans herself up. Ellen also refuses to eat with her host family, claiming that despite how good the...