Tolog Review: The Help

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett 

reviewed by Eloise Whitford

In The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, the provoking and exciting novel is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, where black domestic servants working in white southern households work especially tirelessly. The book is narrated by three strong, different women; Aibileen, a black maid who is raising her 17th white child, Minny another black maid who is unable to keep a job due to her attitude, and Miss Skeeter, who is the complete opposite from Minny and Aibileen, who is a white woman that dreams of becoming a writer. All three main characters may be very different from one another but they all end up becoming very similar to each other and creating a special bond. Miss Skeeter who is nothing like the other white women in her community, works tirelessly to proceed her dreams of becoming writer. She finally gets a chance publish her own work, but she needs to find something interesting that an audience will want to read. When she has the idea of writing a book about the terrible life that the help live in her hometown. The three women, Minny, Aibileen, and Miss Skeeter team up and help reveal the cruelty that the help face during their job with the people who discriminate them. This unknown, secretive friendship is at stake for the help, as if someone were to find out they could be fired immediately from the jobs they work at. 

In the novel, Stockett uses the characters stories to portray segregation in the south. Each character in the novel has their own unique story about their past or present life which connects to the horrible period of segregation. The three main characters, Aibileen, Minny, and Miss Skeeter do not let segregation hold them back, their unique personalities help them battle the other southerners in their society. Especially, Minny who does hold back her opinion on someone whether it is a woman or man she is working for or a friend. The first time she met Miss Celia she was quick to judge by just looking at her, “I look down and see the fool doesn’t have any shoes on, like some kind of white trash. Nice white ladies don’t go around barefoot.”(pg.31) There must be reason why the author chose Minny to have this attitude and quick to judge personality. Why did the author choose this for Minny? I think the author chose this for Minny because it makes her character a strong women during a tough time in our history, who can not be brought down. The way Stockett created Minny is impactful towards the other characters and reflects on them. Miss Skeeter does not follows society's traditions as a white woman, she wants a different life than the normal white women in Jackson, Mississippi. She wants something for herself. She does not agree on the traditions and the discrimination towards the black community. Miss Skeeter is very neutral about it all, “I am neither thrilled nor disappointed by the news that they might let a colored man into Ole Miss, just surprised.” (pg.83) As she explains, she is not on either side. The language that Stockett uses throughout the book makes the reader feel like they are in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s. The packed two little words in the title, The Help, has so much meaning. It refers to the help, the black women or men who help children or are maid services to white families in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. It also refers to the Help, the title of the book Aibileen, Minny, and Miss Skeeter worked on. 

I would highly recommend this book to many readers, especially readers who enjoy historical novels. Although, I do not enjoy many historical novels, I really loved this book. I was not bored at all throughout it, the characters personalities were the ones who drew me to the novel. The novel made me appreciate life in a better way by not taking things for granted. The characters had so many little things but that did not stop them from living life. Something so little can mean the world to someone who does not have a lot. The book allows people to see both sides of segregation and how it affected many people. The stories that are told throughout the book inspire many people including me.