Feminism And The Help

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The purpose of this essay is to connect the feminist theory to the film “The Help,” and underlie certain ideas that are demonstrated throughout the film. I specifically chose this film, because it takes place in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 19060s during the time Jim Crow laws were still very much alive, and practiced. Skeeter, a young white Caucasian woman has just graduated and returned home from attending Ole Miss to take care of her fairly sick mother. Aside from her associates and colleagues, who are more into finding a husband on their time off from Ole Miss, Skeeter focuses all of her time into becoming a journalist. Throughout the film family servants are well within each white family social circle, they are referred to as “The Help,” and are exclusively black women. As tradition the servants are passed down throughout family generations, which means the child they raised would become their boss in the future. Each servant had their own story to tell and conflicts of their own to deal with, including Skeeter. As time progresses Skeeter decides to write a column on the black servants in relation to their white bosses, with the help of her fifty-year-old servant Aibileen Clark. Hesitant to help, Aibleen along with other black servants gather to tell their different stories while accepting the consequences it will bring. As a feminist, it is one who supports feminism, which is the advocacy of women’s right on the grounds of politics, social, and equality to men, but in this case white women as well. Throughout the essay are explorations of the different issues relevant to feminism. Skeeter’s rebelliousness and independence is a hint of feminism in The Help, and can be considered the most evident in the determined, ... ... middle of paper ... ...American maids, the awareness of women speaking their truth as a route to a larger social enlightenment is considered the backbone of feminism. In conclusion, although The Help is a flawed depiction of the 1960s and the author throttles the promising feminism of some of her characters, the film does touch on many issues that were pertinent to 1960s feminism. Throughout the film I felt certain issues were worth exploring, and a greater understanding. After reading the comment section of different articles article speaking on The Help displays many people expressing their excitement of the movies, and saying it’s a “must see.” As not only a woman, but as a black woman I can confidently say, this is not a story that should be broadcasted as a positive movie, because people will get the idea of seeing these issues as being ok, but in actuality they are definitely not.

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