"The Help" Research Paper
The Help
Civil Rights literature has been in hiding from the millions of readers in the world. Kathryn Stockett’s book, The Help, widely opens the doors to the worldwide readers to the experiences of those separated by the thin line drawn between blacks and whites in the 1960s. Kathryn makes her experiences of the character’s, making their stories as compelling as her own.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett, is a book set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, told by three different women: Abilene, Minny and Skeeter, in each of their perspectives. Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan is a graduate student whose dream is to become a writer, but when she tries for a position at the local newspaper, she is given the job of writing housekeeping tips. At the time, it wasn’t uncommon to find a black domestic worker doing all the housework so, Skeeter tries to find a ‘help’ for tips. Skeeter turns to Abilene, her friend Elizabeth’s black domestic worker.
During the weekly housekeeping tip meetings, Abilene tells Skeeter about Skeeter’s old nanny, Constantine. Constantine was someone Skeeter loved, but upon returning from college, Skeeter’s parents told her that Constantine had left to go live with family in Chicago. Abilene tells Skeeter otherwise, saying that she’d been fired. This leads to Skeeter’s realization of how differently her friend’s maids are treated in comparison with white employees. She then gathers the three black maids and writes a book about each of their experiences working with the families. Hilly, Skeeter’s childhood friend, goes against the writing of the book because she has a different view of the future integration of Mississippi. In the end, Minny shows Hilly the secrets told in the book, getting Hilly to be quiet. The Help shows the irony of the relationships between the white children and ‘help’ who practically raised them even after the abolition of slavery. “This book becomes the voice the the black maids and causes the community of Jackson to
Civil Rights literature has been in hiding from the millions of readers in the world. Kathryn Stockett’s book, The Help, widely opens the doors to the worldwide readers to the experiences of those separated by the thin line drawn between blacks and whites in the 1960s. Kathryn makes her experiences of the character’s, making their stories as compelling as her own.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett, is a book set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, told by three different women: Abilene, Minny and Skeeter, in each of their perspectives. Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan is a graduate student whose dream is to become a writer, but when she tries for a position at the local newspaper, she is given the job of writing housekeeping tips. At the time, it wasn’t uncommon to find a black domestic worker doing all the housework so, Skeeter tries to find a ‘help’ for tips. Skeeter turns to Abilene, her friend Elizabeth’s black domestic worker.
During the weekly housekeeping tip meetings, Abilene tells Skeeter about Skeeter’s old nanny, Constantine. Constantine was someone Skeeter loved, but upon returning from college, Skeeter’s parents told her that Constantine had left to go live with family in Chicago. Abilene tells Skeeter otherwise, saying that she’d been fired. This leads to Skeeter’s realization of how differently her friend’s maids are treated in comparison with white employees. She then gathers the three black maids and writes a book about each of their experiences working with the families. Hilly, Skeeter’s childhood friend, goes against the writing of the book because she has a different view of the future integration of Mississippi. In the end, Minny shows Hilly the secrets told in the book, getting Hilly to be quiet. The Help shows the irony of the relationships between the white children and ‘help’ who practically raised them even after the abolition of slavery. “This book becomes the voice the the black maids and causes the community of Jackson to
Bibliography: Kunhadt, Jessie. The Help: Kathryn Stockett’s Controversial Hit. March 18, 2010, (accessed May 3, 2012). Lahar, Marie. Book Review: The Help By Kathryn Stockett. March 6, 2012, (accessed May 3, 2012). (accessed May 10, 2012) Stockett, Kathryn Stockett, Kathryn. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. 2010, (accessed April 23, 2012). April 25, 2012). Wikipedia Contributors. The Help. in Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2012, (accessed April 23, 2012).