July 28, 2011
"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."
The reason for Skeeter to go against everything she had every known was to get society to realize black, white, poor, rich, christian, or not, we are not that different. This is close to the several themes I find the novel carries. To be who you truly are, and it's what's on the inside that counts are the two that I see most prominent. The Help touches on several issues such as domestic violence, racism, mother/ child relationships, and acceptance in society which all help to shape it's theme.
Minny's character was abused by her father and now by her husband. Like most victims of violence, she thinks it's her fault, she did something to set them off. Throughout the novel, as she gets to see the love Johnny has for Miss Celia without anger, she learned that true love does not hurt. Like everyone else, Minny is scared of rejection. She doesn't want her husband to leave her if she speaks up. After a while, it seems redundant that Minny is scared for her life over the consequence of the book, yet she risk it every night just by going home. When Aibileen finally tells Minny she is free, she seems to understand she has options. I found this to be alluding to her own sort of emancipation proclamation. Like when the slaves were finally free from their masters, Minny was free from her own captivity in a abusive marriage. The white peace dove on her book, a symbol of new freedom for her. Minny also finds herself trust people she never thought she would. Minny and Celia gain a friendship through the course of the novel, characterized by their common rejection from society. Celia helps Minny to learn who she truly is, and helps her to see the bravery she has. This realization eventually lead to her being about to leave her husband and to trust a white woman, because after all, they are just two women.
After raising 17 children Aibileen has finally raised her last white baby, and she left an everlasting impression on her. Aibileen worries for Mae Mobley's future because of her stoic mother, and racist adults that surround her life. She teaches Mae to not look at the color of people's skin and judge them, and also to never consider herself worthless. You know the expression, "one bad apple spoils the bunch?" Well here I see the opposite. Aibileen thinks if she can make "one good apple", then she may be able to influence other people over the years, like her little brother. Aibileen also makes a new friend too, which is also with a white woman. Skeeter and Aibileen form a bond, like one almost similar to one a mother and child share. Aibileen found someone who she can help to understand what it's really like for the other half and in turn Skeeter found someone who accepts the true her.
It shows that true friendship isn't judgmental, like Skeeter had experienced in the past. Skeeter struggles through the novel, trying to fit into the idea of what she is supposed to be. After a while she realizes, she just needs to be who she is. I think the fight to be accepted into society is something everyone struggles with. It is a common problem, even in society today. The fact that Miss Skeeter goes through this gives her a personality that is easily relatable. Her struggle with societal acceptance makes her a character everyone can relate to and helps to build the realness of the novel.
Skeeter's motivation behind the novel will always be because of her relationship with Constantine. Which is explained through a common motif used throughout the novel. A look into the relationship between a mother and child. But it isn't always a genetic mother and child. In their society, maids typically raise white children. Constantine raised Skeeter, and had a special bond because Constantine always encouraged Skeeter to be who she wants to be, as opposed to her mother who has a mold she expected Skeeter to fit into. Aibileen raised Mae Mobley to understand what a mother truly does is love their child, not punish them when they are bad. And Minny taught Celia that mothers are understanding and will tell you the truth, even when it hurts, but they will always take care of you. All these women are different, but they all find comfort in each other. I think this is because it's not having a child that makes you a mother, but it is the love and support you give them that makes you one. I think the mother/ child motif is used in The Help because it is set during a time when the woman's role was to take care of the house and children, so it just adds to the authenticity of the setting.
As Aibileen said "[they] d[id] something brave and good here." Even though The Help is fiction, the stories that it contains most likely happened. I have a cousin who was raised by their black maid, Mary. She remembers how much she loved her, and how she was like a part of the family. Some stories in the novel are similar to the ones of my cousin, which goes to show if the good ones are real, the bad one are too. The Help is truly a educational novel, whether real or not, on how life for African Americans in the south during the 60's was not an easy one, but because of some brave individuals, like Minny and Aibileen, change did happen. And that led to the society we now live in today.
""The Help" Trailer HD." Youtube. Web. 28 Jul 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbuKgzgeUIU>.
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