Comments on The Help by Kathyn Stockett

ENG 113

Instructor Risch

Donna Stevens

Comments on The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My initial response to the book was that it was very entertaining as it allowed me to peek inside the lives of women during the civil rights movement. My favorite character was Skeeter because she was brave, independent and determined to do the right thing no matter what the consequences. The author explained her weaknesses such as her outward appearance and her strengths like the way she dealt with adversity through her personal relationships with her mother and with Stuart.

I feel that Hilly was a deeply flawed person, but one that was conscious of her flaws. I think that she maintained her persona just to keep up appearances and that she was never brave enough to shed all of the excuses she made for her racist behavior. I believe that she knew she did not have that strength inside her because strength like that would bring reproach upon her household and she was a person who absolutely needed approval from others to believe she was a good person. I think that she knew she could be a good mother and she was free to do so because being a good mother was socially acceptable. She sought to control of others as a way to offer affirmation to the ridiculous racist behaviors that she was portraying. She needed everyone to approve of what she was doing because she knew in her heart it was wrong. She was in conflict between the socially correct thing to do and the humanly correct thing to do. Because her husband was climbing the political ladder, she opted to go for the socially and politically correct thing to do and she paid the consequences. I believe that a person can be a good mother and at the same time be a deeply flawed person because both are roles we play as adults. Hilly’s social life was in a conflict, but her life as a mother was easier.

I really don’t think I feel much sympathy for Skeeter’s mother. I think her deep flaws are like Hilly’s because they deal with a person in conflict between the social and humane aspects of their decision making. However, the fact of the matter is that she dug to the core of humanity and ripped out the seeds with what she did to Constantine. I think her cold choice shed light on why she has such a difficult relationship with her own daughter. She had no empathy towards Constantine as a mother. Her decision was like that of someone who was taking out the trash and not someone who was dealing with a human being in a difficult situation.

I think that eighty percent of a person’s character is shaped by the times in which they live. However, it is that other twenty percent that throws around the most weight. We all must deal with “the way things are”. It is when we see injustice in our world that we can use our left over twenty percent to sway others. I think everyone knows when they are a part of something like racism. Some choose to quiet their other twenty percent to save face and go with “the way things are”. Skeeter was a character that used her extra twenty percent to really make a difference. She was aware that it was only twenty percent and it was hard the whole time she was writing the book, but in the end, her twenty percent was all she needed to really make a difference.

Watching Skeeter’s willingness to overlook Stuart’s faults so that she can get married was like watching a train wreck. The collision began when her mother and father visited Stuart’s home. She had her mother eternally on her back and she thought that somehow her mother would get off if she got married. I knew she would be wrong about that. Stuart was clearly not ready to get married either. I thought that if they got married that her spirit would be crushed just like those of her friends. Her willingness to accept Stuart’s faults came from her lifetime of practice looking over her mother’s faults. It did bother me that Skeeter was willing to overlook his faults because his faults made him a very self centered person who I’m not convinced could really be the loving husband she deserved.

Minny was incredibly justified in her distrust of white people. She just was one of those people who had the gift of verbalizing her emotions no matter what the consequences would be. I think Minny had a distrust of people in general but because white people had been especially horrible to her, she was extremely distrusting of them. She ultimately grew in her heart enough to trust Skeeter, Miss Celia and her husband.

If Aibileen stayed working for Miss Elizabeth, Mae Mobley would not have grown up to be a racist because Aibileen was a stronger role model than Elizabeth. I strongly believe that racism is something that is taught and something that a person knows is wrong but only pursued because their society wants them to pursue it.

The most ridiculous beauty regimen that I ever underwent that could be comparable to the hairshellac system by Skeeter was a really tight perm on microscopic rollers. The beautician said it would have body and the curl would be long lasting. She was right. My hair was huge, but it was okay, it was the 80’s.

The author manages to paint Aibileen with a quiet grace and an aura of wisdom when she describes the interior of Aibileen’s home. Her kitchen was orderly and quiet. Her home was always quiet. The author contrasts this with Minny’s kitchen, whew! Her aura of wisdom comes from how controlled, quite and deliberate Aibileen spoke to Mae Mobley. She educated Mae Mobley on how she could be a better person that the adults around her. I think her quiet grace was most magnified in the way she handled the news about Constantine to Skeeter.

I think there are still vestiges of racism in relationships where people of color work for people who are white. I have heard of stories where people think that somehow the black person wants to get even or get a little of what the white person has and they take on the beliefs like that of Abner Snopes in Barn Burning. I have heard more stories of people of the same race doing the same thing just because the employer has money. I heard just the other day someone say that they hide valuables just before their housekeeper comes but this person who is of the same race also babysits for them. Maybe the paradox is more about class than race nowadays.

I truly enjoyed the revenge that Minny executed. I totally understand why Minny did what she did. In her own way, this was the only thing that she could do to ensure she got Miss Hilly back. I think the way she used the pie to keep Miss Hilly from admitting the story was about Jackson was brilliant. I don’t think I could do the same thing because I would be afraid that she would die from eating it and then I would be in prison for murder.

This book was so enjoyable that after I put it down, I found myself thinking about the characters and what they must be doing next. I wanted to see Mae Mobley grow up and I wanted to hear more funny stories about Miss Celia. I was so glad that Skeeter did not marry Stuart, but I hoped that later on they would come back together to work on doing what was right for the citizens of Jackson. He had political ties that could be used for good and she had an open creative mind and the trust of many of the good citizens of the town. I was so happy that Aibileen has a future with the paper. The book ended with a fresh start and bright sunlight. It reminded me that one is never too old for a fresh start.