The Help

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-13

Chapters 14-18

Chapters 19-22

Chapters 23-26

Chapters 27-29

Chapters 30-34

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Societal Lines as a False Construct

In Stockett’s depiction of Jackson, invisible lines dictate the hierarchical organization of society. Some of those social lines are reinforced by Jim Crow Laws. For example, the Black community must use a library, grocery store, barbershop, and even graveyard separate from the white community. Because of the lines these laws create, additional lines are drawn by extension between the white women of Jackson and their maids. Other than simply keeping Black and white people separate, these lines provide authority on the white side, but stipulate inferiority on the Black side.

Lines in Jackson’s community are not only drawn between races, but also between classes. At The Benefit, many prominent white families are invited to attend, but even then, lines are drawn between members and nonmembers. League members give polite nods and fake smiles cloaked in condescension to nonmembers, sending a subtle yet clear reminder that they are superior to the nonmembers. At the family dinner between the Phelans and the Whitworths, the lines between the two families are almost palpable. Skeeter immediately feels self-conscious about her family’s country roots when Stuart’s father holds a position as a senator, and Stuart’s mother is clearly patronizing because of her wealth and high social standing.

Although the majority of the novel’s characters recognize and observe the rules of these societal lines, being careful not to cross them, Celia Foote misses them altogether. This bothers Minny, who watches Celia constantly call the League ladies, never realizing they won’t call her back because they view her as beneath their notice. Celia doesn’t observe the lines between the help and the employer either. She treats Minny as a friend and eats lunch at the same table with her each day. When Minny complains to Aibileen that Celia doesn’t know where the lines are drawn, Aibileen’s wise words about societal lines sum up Stockett’s theme: “I used to believe in em. I don’t anymore. They in our heads. People like Miss Hilly is always trying to make us believe they there. But they ain’t” (312). Through Aibileen’s words, Stockett shows that the lines that govern society are a false construct. The people in power, like Hilly, maintain the presence of these lines in order to uphold their power and position. Stockett’s use of this theme makes the reader question some of the “lines” that govern American society today. She shows that perceived separations between people, whether because of race, wealth, neighborhood, sexual orientation, or political party, don’t exist in reality; the separation only exists if one allows it to. In Aibileen’s words, “kindness don’t have no boundaries” (312).

The Folly of Judging a Person Before Knowing Them

One of Stockett’s central messages throughout the novel is that too often, people judge others before really getting to know them. People quickly make assumptions about others based on what they perceive, rather than taking the time to get to know a person’s life and character. Events and relationships in the novel reveal that misjudging others happens regardless of race or class. However, probably the most common and severe cases of poor judgment occur between people of different races.

In the novel, the Jim Crow Laws of Separation serve to keep Black and white people as distant and separate as possible. The notion of a white person sitting down and getting to know a Black person, or vice versa, is not only unheard of, but also prevented by law in countless ways. Ironically, white families invite Black women into their homes as domestic workers yet expect them to maintain an illusion of separation as much as possible. When Minny recalls her first day of work as a maid, she recounts the rules her mother taught her. Almost all of them relate to maintaining separation: using a separate toilet, keeping a separate plate and fork in the cabinet, and eating in separate rooms of the house. Although domestic workers know intimate details about the families they serve, down to each family members’ coffee and toast preferences, the white families in the novel know next to nothing about the personal lives of their maids. Even the separation between the Black and white neighborhoods prevents Black and white people from finding common ground. As Skeeter drives to Aibileen’s house for the first time, she realizes that the Black part of town, which she always thought was far away, is actually only a few miles down the road. Her realization symbolizes her misconception that great differences exist between Black and white people. However, by the end of the novel, she learns that people are more alike than they seem, whether Black or white.

In addition to the misjudgments that stem from the racist laws and mindset in Jackson, Stockett shows that people easily misjudge those of their own race, including people they consider friends. Even without the barrier of racial separation laws and rules, people often don’t take the time or make the effort to look beyond a person’s outward appearance before passing judgment. For example, Skeeter had no idea of the kindness her friend Lou Anne showed to her maid Louvenia until she hears about it during Louvenia’s book interview. She also learns about Lou Anne’s struggle with depression and sees a strong side of her when she ignores Hilly’s command that she fires Louvenia. Skeeter always thought of Lou Anne as constantly happy because of the smile she always wears and saw her as one of Hilly’s adoring fans. However, Skeeter never took the time to look beyond Lou Anne’s social personality. Only through hearing about Lou Anne’s kindness to Louvenia and having an honest conversation with Lou Anne does Skeeter realize how much they have in common.

Several other examples from the novel contribute to this theme, such as when Aibileen misjudges Yule May, thinking that she won’t want to help with the book since she works for Hilly. Celia is also the object of other’s misguided criticism, both from the League ladies in Jackson and from Minny. Skeeter even misjudges Aibileen, thinking that she will have to rewrite all of Aibileen’s stories for the book, only to find out that Aibileen is an excellent writer. Through these examples, Stockett shows that one never knows what is going on inside of someone unless one takes the time to talk, ask questions, and get to know someone. Assumptions about others are often incorrect, yet they can have far-reaching consequences. Stockett suggests that if people go looking for ways they are different from others, they will likely find some differences; however, if people look for similarities with others, they will find that, in Skeeter’s words, “We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought” (418).

The Question of Point of View

Stockett’s choice to narrate the novel through the first-person perspectives of three different women brings the significance of point of view to the forefront of the novel. Each woman’s life experiences and personality impact their telling of events and the reader’s understanding of their characters and transformations throughout the novel. However, beyond a literary technique, Stockett’s use of point of view plays into the plot and overall message of the novel.

When Minny agrees to be interviewed for Skeeter’s book, one of her first questions is why a privileged, white woman like Skeeter is interested in recording the stories of Black maids. She asks Skeeter, “What makes you think colored people need your help?” (164). The fact that having a white woman on board increases the likelihood of getting published is a sign of the inequalities and lack of opportunities the Black maids face. Gretchen, another maid who comes to be interviewed, shocks Skeeter with her anger and presumption that Skeeter is trying to make money off of the hardship of the maids. Although the reader knows that Skeeter did not begin the project with the intention of profiting from the maids’ stories, Gretchen can only speak from her previous experiences with white people. Even though her anger is misplaced in this situation, one cannot blame her for it. She has been mistreated and taken advantage of by white people all of her life; why should she trust Skeeter to be different?

From Gretchen and Minny’s perspective, Stockett draws attention to whether Skeeter’s involvement in the book is appropriate. Simultaneously, she acknowledges her own authorship as a white woman writing from the perspective of a Black maid in the 1960s. In her author note at the end of the novel, Stockett admits that she feared writing from the point of view of a Black person, worried that she was “crossing a terrible line” (450). She acknowledges that she doesn’t know what it was truly like to be a Black woman in Mississippi in the 1960s. However, she learned that there is power in at least trying to understand, which she shows to be a lesson that Skeeter learns as well. A white person writing the experience of a Black person will inevitably miss the mark in some capacity. Some people may take issue with it, and they are justified in doing so. However, Skeeter recognizes the very human similarities that she shares with others, Black or white. Stockett finds that there is power in simply trying to understand someone else’s perspective. She shows in her novel that the things that make people similar are far more powerful than those that make people different.