The Help by Kathryn Stockett
"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett is a historical novel set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s, a time marked by racial segregation and civil rights struggles. The story revolves around three main characters: Skeeter Phelan, a white aspiring writer; Aibileen Clark, an African American domestic worker; and Minny Jackson, another domestic worker with a strong personality. Together, they navigate the complexities of their lives against the backdrop of societal norms that dictate racial inequality.
Skeeter, disillusioned with her traditional upbringing and the oppressive social expectations placed on women, embarks on a daring project to document the experiences of black maids who work for white families. Aibileen and Minny, initially reluctant, eventually join Skeeter in sharing their stories, risking their safety and livelihoods in the process. The novel explores themes of friendship, courage, and the quest for justice, highlighting the personal and systemic challenges faced by the characters.
As the trio collaborates on the book, they confront not only the prejudices of their community but also their own fears and aspirations. Through their voices, "The Help" reveals the harsh realities of domestic work and the resilience of those who strive for dignity and equality. The narrative ultimately emphasizes the power of storytelling as a means of fostering change and understanding in a divided society.
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Subject Terms
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- Born: 1969
- Birthplace: Jackson, Mississippi
First published: 2009
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Social criticism
Time of plot: August 1962 to March 1964
Locale: Jackson, Mississippi
Principal Characters
Skeeter Phelan, a writer
Aibileen Clark, a domestic worker
Minny Jackson, a domestic worker
The Story
The Help begins on an August day in 1962 in the kitchen of Elizabeth Leefolt. African American domestic worker Aibileen Clark prepares lunch for the bridge club of elite white women of Jackson as she takes care of Mae Mobley, Elizabeth’s young daughter. Recent college graduate Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan asks Aibileen what happened to her family’s beloved domestic worker, Constantine Bates, who raised Skeeter. Aibileen pleads ignorance.
As the women play bridge, they discuss the Home Help Sanitation Initiative spearheaded by social ringleader Hilly Holbrook, which would require homes to have separate toilets for African American help. Aibileen overhears that Hilly intends to fire the domestic worker, Minny Jackson. When Aibileen tells Minny, the latter swears terrible revenge. Upon hearing that Celia Foote, a newcomer in town, is looking for domestic help, Aibileen secures Minny the job by falsely claiming that Elizabeth recommends Minny.
When Minny begins her work with Celia, she is disturbed by Celia’s naive, helpless ways. Celia seems to know none of the "white lady’s rules," as she expresses gratitude toward and sits at the same table to eat lunch with Minny. Celia wants Minny to keep a secret from her husband Johnny, which concerns Minny. Outside of her disastrous cooking lessons, Celia spends much of her time in bed or roaming the home’s empty nurseries.
Ambitious Skeeter is disappointed to have neither a journalism job nor her beloved Constantine, but her mother is more concerned about her lack of a husband. While at the University of Mississippi, Skeeter had applied to Harper & Row publishers in New York, and she finally hears from one of its editors, Elaine Stein. Stein encourages Skeeter to get more experience in publishing and offers to look over Skeeter’s book project ideas. Skeeter finds a job writing a domestic-help column, although she knows nothing about housekeeping. She soon persuades a reluctant Aibileen to help her. Aibileen soon reveals that Constantine was fired and is the mother of a light-skinned daughter.
Skeeter conceives of the idea to tell the stories of the African American women who work as domestic help for Jackson’s white families. She asks Aibileen to share her stories, but Aibileen fears the fallout, especially as violence against African Americans in Jackson is rising. She eventually agrees to the project. Meanwhile, Skeeter goes on a disastrous blind date with Stuart Whitworth, son of a Mississippi senator.
Minny’s confusion regarding the Foote household deepens when husband Johnny arrives home early and discovers Minny. He protests that he loves Celia, and is glad she has help, but he asks that Minny keep their meeting a secret.
Skeeter and Aibileen’s first meeting for the book frightens them, but they continue. Elaine likes the material but demands its completion in six months; Minny joins the project. Hilly finds civil rights material in Skeeter’s bag and persuades league members to shun her. Stuart reappears to apologize to Skeeter, and they begin a relationship.
Meanwhile, Minny bonds with Celia when she saves her from bleeding to death after suffering her fourth miscarriage.
Skeeter’s life becomes more difficult when Stuart breaks up with her and Hilly continues to ostracize her. Skeeter finally destroys their relationship fully when she prints Hilly’s health initiative in the league newsletter.
At a charity benefit, Celia embarrasses herself by showing up drunk and dressed in a revealing evening gown. An even bigger drama ensues when Hilly unleashes her fury on Celia. Celia accidentally rips Hilly’s dress and is driven out of the benefit in tears.
The following week when Celia is depressed and refuses to eat or get out of bed, Minny decides to tell Celia about the "Terrible Awful thing" in order to explain why Hilly was so angry and to hopefully get Celia to understand what kind of person Hilly really is. Minny tells Celia that when Hilly fired her, and then spread the rumor that Minny stole from Hilly’s mother—which resulted in Minny being unable to find employment anywhere in Jackson—Minny told Hilly to "eat my s——." Minny made a chocolate pie in which she mixed her own excrement and from which Hilly ate two slices. Heartened by the story and Minny’s care, Celia writes a check to Hilly to pay for the damaged dress, and she adds a notation on the check that it is for "Two-Slice Hilly."
In the midst of the nation’s mourning after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Skeeter copes with her mother’s advancing cancer and learns that Constantine’s daughter, Lulabelle, had embarrassed her mother at a party and was the cause of Constantine’s firing. Skeeter also learns that Constantine died a few weeks after she moved to Chicago. Stuart and Skeeter rekindle their relationship, but Stuart withdraws his marriage proposal when Skeeter tells him about the book project.
Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny finish the book project, protecting themselves by publishing it anonymously, changing the names of the domestic help and the white employers, and including the story about the "Terrible Awful." Hilly tries to exact revenge without admitting her featured role in the book, and she manages to persuade several women, including Aibileen’s employer, to fire their domestic help.
Minny’s abusive husband loses his job, but Minny finally feels free to leave him. Skeeter takes a job as an assistant to the editor at Harper’s magazine in New York with the blessing of Aibileen and Minny. In the Foote household, Celia finally tells Johnny about Minny and the miscarriages and Minny’s role in saving her life. The Footes tell Minny she will always have a place with them.
Bibliography
Bradley, Benjamin, and Grace Sweet. Church Street: The Sugar Hill of Jackson, Mississippi. Charleston: History, 2013. Print.
Foster-Singletary, Tikenya. "Dirty South: The Help and the Problem of Black Bodies." Southern Quarterly 49.4 (2012): 95–107. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. Racial Formation in the United States: From the 1960s to the 1990s. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2014. Print.
Perkins, John M. Let Justice Roll Down. Ventura: Regal, 2012. Print.