The Help By Kathryn Stockett: Women’s Struggle Against Racism

Kathryn Stockett’s historical and fictional book ‘The Help’ based in Jackson, Mississippi 1962 features 3 main narrators and powerful women; Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter who challenge racism through their experiences, knowledge and actions. Through the characterisation of Skeeter, the reader can see that the white privilege she has carries much weight when contesting the injustices of racism. Aibileen herself bravely takes on the responsibility of joining forces with skeeter to produce the subversive book. Finally, Minny – a loudmouthed coloured friend of Aibileen who isn’t scared of what consequences her words may have, challenges racism by showing how being a strong and opiniated woman can ultimately break down the barriers between races. These three women challenge racism not only first-hand but also second-hand and find their voices to create the ultimate protest in the novel, Help.

Eugenia Skeeter is a 23-year-old privileged white woman who writes a novel with the help of coloured maids to expose what it is really like working for non-coloured people in Southern households. Skeeter writes the ‘Help’ book and risks spurring violence in her community by publishing the maid’s stories. Although Skeeter aspired to be a successful journalist and writer, her mother wants her to get married and constantly reminds her that “your eggs are dying” (page 55). But the writing of her book along with the help of Minny and Aibileen allows Skeeter to stray away from what her mother wants to be and follow the path that her old maid Constantine raised her with. This challenges Skeeter as she constantly stands up for coloured people and challenges her white friends when they are being racist without caring what they think about her. Skeeter also challenges racism by just seeing the maids are just like her in the sense that they are valuable humans that hold the capacity for emotions and intelligence. The first night of developing the book Skeeter travels to Aibileen’s house where she is referred to by ma’am. However, Skeeter replies with “You don’t have to call me ma’am. Not here” (Page 145). Skeeter’s remark is a definitive demonstration of her race consciousness and shows just how independent she is.

Aibileen challenges racism by standing up for injustices through the ‘Help’ book, written by Skeeter. The book includes stories from maids and their horrible experiences with the point to expose what it’s really like working for white people. Aibileen is much aware of the injustice and challenges that she faces yet she still strives hard to change this and the way people see black maids, which she accomplishes by helping Skeeter with the ‘Help’ novel. “God says we need to love our enemies. It’s hard to do, but it can start by telling the truth” (page 369). Her long and painful journey between ‘us and them’ throughout the novel has enabled her triumph in the face of adversity. Aibileen not only challenges racism first hand but also contests it by influencing change through other characters like Mae Mobley. Mae Mobley draws a picture of herself with a black face. The teacher Miss Taylor responds, horrified, and says “black people are dirty, and you should draw yourself white unless you want people to think you’re dirty too” (page 367). Aibileen is a clear role for Mae Mobley yet Miss Taylor constantly tries to undo the quietly instilled liberal and unprejudiced attitudes that Aibileen has taught her. This situation is a clear example of the saying that ‘you’re not born racist, but you’re taught it’.

Minny is a black maid and friend of Aibileen’s who is acknowledged for her cooking, loudmouth and outspokenness which often leads to her getting fired. Minny challenges racism by letting her individualism conflict against white people and cause many arguments accordingly and even her best friend Aibileen knows so too when she states, “She is too much – too much woman to be a lady, too much mouth for a maid, too black for her own good” (page 100). Minny’s inner nature struggles against society and the expectation to be a submissive and quiet black woman. When Minny agrees to help with the book, she lets Skeeter know that she is not doing this for herself but for her kids and “if in ten years, a white lady will call my girls dirty and accuse them of stealing silver” (page 218). This shows that Minny is a powerful woman and she wants everyone to know how independent she is as a black woman. In the first chapters of the book, Minny constantly makes reference to the “Terrible Awful” she did to Hilly (page 53). However, after this incident, Minny begins working for Celia Foote from Sugar Ditch, Mississippi and frequently refuses to make a Chocolate Pie when Ms Foote asks her to do so. Minny had promised never to make a pie again after the Hilly incident. The technique of foreshadowing is demonstrated because the day after the benefit Minny finally reveals to Celia what she did and how she baked her own faeces in a pie and fed it to Hilly. This incident is used as ‘insurance’ for Skeeter’s controversial book so Miss Hilly won’t dob the three women into the police as it is illegal to talk about working for white people.

‘The Help’ is and was a major protest against racism and the three most powerful women in the book are key characters who stand up for the injustices black people experience. Skeeter finds her voice from the women working around her and in return, she gave them a voice to speak their truth, Aibileen influences other characters with her ‘colour-blind eyes’ and Minny doesn’t hold back her individualism and speaks her mind without worrying about consequences. The novel also shows many literary techniques such as foreshowing, parallelism, personification and much more.