The Help Kathryn Stockett

The Help is an eventful drama written by kathryn Stockett. It is the story of Black ladys' lives as "help" or maids to white women. A curious lady writes interviews and writes stories of these maids, and eventually publishes a book. The book puts into perspective how the lives of "The Help" are unjust, and how even though it's always been accepted, it doesn't make it right.



Author: Kathryn Stockett
'Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jacson Mississippi. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in English and Creative Writing. She moved to New York where she began working for a magazine. The Help was Stockett's first novel'

Setting: Jackson, Mississippi
'The Novel takes plave in Jackson Missippi around the 1960's. Jackson was, and is still, one of the most segregated towns is the United State. '

Genre: Drama, Realistic Fiction
'The Help is mostly a drama, and realistic Fiction. The stories and the people are fiction, however, events like this did take place. The book also has high emotion and crisis of feelings, which places it under the genre of drama'

Plot Summary
'The Help' refers to the black maids who work for white families; doing their chores, housework, and taking care of the children. This novel introduces you to two specific maids, Aibileen and Minny. These two maids are trated poorly and have cruel, racist bosses. After an instance where the talk of a seperate bathroom for Aibileen is brought up, Mrs. Skeeter, a friend of Aibileens boss, tries to talk to Aibileen. She asks Aibileen if she would ever like to change things, and out of fear, Aibileen gives a short reply that doesnt answer the question. Throughout the novel, Aibileen begins to talk more and more with Mrs. Skeeter. Mrs. Skeeter eventually asks if she can do a story on Aibileen and other maids. Aibileen finally agrees after alot of hesitation. Mrs. Skeeter is changed by talking to and spending time with the maids. She finishes her story and it becomes widely known. Many people are appalled by skeeter's work but she, the maids, and the vast majority get a life changing outlook from the story Mrs. Skeeter has written.

Characters

 * Aibileen - a very sweet, friendly, ederly maid and main character in the novel
 * Skeeter - the main writer of the help, out of the interest she has in the maids
 * Minny Jackson - A loud-mouthed sassy friend of Aibileens. Also a main character in the novel
 * Mae Mobley - May mobley is the baby of Mrs. Leefolt- Aibileen's boss- This is the baby Aibileen loves and takes care of
 * Hilly - Hillly is an unpleasant, racist, cruel liar. She's afraid of black people germs, and hates the African race all together
 * Ms. leefolt - Aibileens boss who is also not very nice and builds Aibileen a bathroom because of Mrs. Hilly

Author's Style
'Kathryn Stockett uses richness and a variety of language to make the book more appealing and realistic for the audienve. She also uses dated dialect. '

Setting
The setting of the help takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's. The town is seperated between blacks and whites-the blacks obviously having the lower end. Many black woman worked as help under cruel white women. People of this time and place beleived black to be another species, carrying different diseases as themselves.

Themes
Racism- racism is probably the main theme of the nobel. The whole purpose of the book was to show how wrong and unjust the treatment of black people was Right and Wrong- another theme of the novel would be differentiating between right and wrong. The novel teaches people that even they have been around something, and accepted something for so long, doesnt manke it right.

Memorable Quotes
''Skeeter is basically asking Aibileen how she feels about her life as a maid. She is concerned about how upset the segregation may make her.''
 * "Do you ever wish you could... change things?" (page 12)

Skeeter is angry with her mother because she lied about what happened to her old maid Constantine, who practically raised her.
 * "Mother, she raised me. You tell me right now what happened." (page 197) 

''Skeeter is smiling to her self as the Preacher Green's sermon plays on the radio. She obviously has happy memories with her.''
 * "That reminds me so much of my maid growing up."(page 11)

''Aibileen has a lot of concern for the children and she loves them all. ''
 * "I just..I want things to be better for the kids," I say "but it's a sorry fact that it's a white woman doing this."(page 255)