Segregation and Solidarity: Analysis of 'The Help'

The Help Theme Essay
In The Help by Kathryn Stockett, segregation contingent upon one’s race brings the main characters to take a stand and write a book unveiling the reality of the life of an African American in the South to the public. Two African American maids, working for different people, come together to compile and share their experiences in the workforce in Jackson, Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement with a white author. The tension between races creates a compelling and inspiring book in which stereotypes are overcome and bonds are made despite the racial segregation. The Help is not only an entertaining read that gives a perspective look into the history of the United States but also promotes the idea of equality.
Early

in the book, Aibileen clearly explains the schism between Whites and African Americans. Aibileen’s main job is to care for Mrs. Elizabeth Leefolt’s daughter, Mae Mobley Leefolt, along with clean the house and get the family’s groceries. While taking care of Mae, Aibileen attempts to instill commendable ethics in her and boost her self-esteem, from the physical abuse and neglect that she endures from her mother. Although Aibileen tries to save Mae from her fate, in their society, the racial prejudices she is trying to save her from are inherent and will continue through each subsequent generation. Aibileen thinks to herself, “I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain’t a color, disease ain’t the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming – and it comes in every white child’s life – when they start to think that colored folks are not as good as whites” (Stockett 96). Aibileen knows that as much as she may try Mae will inherit the racist qualities that her ancestors possessed because of their strong prevalence in the society she is growing up in.
Not only is prejudice based on race inherent but it is seen in everyday encounters between African Americans and whites. After hearing the experiences of the African American maids, Skeeter begins to notice the racist qualities in her peers. She notices, “Hilly raises her voice about three octaves when talking to black people. Elizabeth smiles like she’s talking to a child” (Stockett 157). No matter what form it may be in, every white person in the South during this time had a way of being demeaning towards African Americans. These actions stemmed from the taught belief that African Americans were of lesser intelligence and did not deserve the same dignity or respect that whites did. This further perpetuated the idea of segregation based on race in The Help.
Despite many people being inherently racist, there were a few people who recognized the injustices of society and were willing to go out of their way to protect the African American community. One night while Celia, Minny’s boss, is making her coffee when they notice that there is a man outside the window naked and staring threateningly into the house. In an attempt to protect Celia, Minny exits the house with a knife and a broom and tries to attack the man. However, he ends up attacking her, but Celia comes to the rescue and defends her with a fire poker. Minny thinks, “Is this really happening? Is a white woman really beating up a white man to save me? Or did he shake my brain pan loose and I’m over there dead on the ground?” (Stockett 308). Minny’s disbelief that a white woman would come to her defense is a clear indication of how poorly African Americans were treated by a large majority of the white population. Minny had been treated so poorly by whites all her life that she was in utter disbelief when she was defended by a white woman.
The Help portrays the unsightly past of racism in the United States. Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter all take tremendous risks, both in terms of their status and their safety, to write a book that has the potential to shift the prejudice society in which they live into one of more equality. From sneaking around at night, to secrets kept between employer and employee, to manipulating through stealing, the racial tensions present in The Help bring out the worst in people. The theme of racial segregation is one that is important to understand not only for historical purposes but to better understand how to avoid repeating a gruesome history and improve modern society.

Parallel Events
By adding historical events into the book The Help, Kathryn Stockett enriches the understanding and emotional experience the reader undergoes.

In addition, the historical setting gives the story a realistic feel that is more likely to inspire readers than a book that is completely fictional. By reinforcing the plot with monumental events in American history, the book gains a deeper meaning. A few of these monumental events include the Birmingham Church Bombing, Martin Luther King’s speech at the capital, and the death of Medgar

Evans.
Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream Speech” supported the continuation of the Civil Rights Movement and peaceful protesting to gain rights.

The speech was incredibly important to the African American community, but was also attended by several whites (King Speaks). Aibileen recalls, “Ever colored person in Jackson gets in front a whatever tee-vee set they can find, watches Martin Luther King stand in our nation’s capital and tell us he’s got a dream… and the ringer is, sixty thousand a them is white” (Stockett 294). The union between whites and African Americans at the March on Washington inspires the African American community to continue their fight for their rights and gives Minny, Aibileen, and Skeeter hope for their book to be successful, which further drives the plot of the story. This event enriches the story by introducing the reader to not only the lows but the highs that African Americans during this time

faced.
After Martin Luther King’s inspiring speech, racial violence and equality continued, especially on the morning of September 15th before a Sunday service at a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. It was in this location that a bomb detonated, killing four young girls and injuring many others. Due to the fact that the congregation was predominantly African American and the building served as a location for civil rights leaders to meet, the church was an opportune location for white supremacists to attack (Birmingham Church Bombing). In The Help, the characters reflect on the attack and how it affected the African American community. “September come and a church in Birmingham blows up into a million pieces, with four little colored girls inside. That wipe the smile off our faces pretty quick. Law, do we weep and it seems like life can’t go on. Oh, but it do” (Stockett 294). The moral of the African American community had been raised by the speech given by Martin Luther King, but quickly plummeted when the attack on the Birmingham church occurred. This event further increased racial tensions that were already incredibly high and pushed African Americans to once again live in constant fear of being attacked. By including this event in the plot Stockett shows the reader the hatred some whites had for African Americans not because of what they did, but just because they were African American. The church was targeted because of the race of the congregation, not because of actions they had taken.
After the preceding two events African American civil rights leader Medgar Evers was shot outside of his home in Jackson by a white supremacist. He was known for his work with the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and his travels through Mississippi to visit poor African Americans and convince them to join the civil rights movement and register to vote (Medgar Evers Assassinated). “Medgar Evers was like a celebrity around here, being so high in the NAACP” (Stockett 194). Due to his reputation, the death of Evers shocked the community. As mentioned by Aibileen, the death of Evers heightened the fear that African Americans experienced, “The KKK was here, five minutes away, to hunt down a colored man. I want a close that back door” (Stockett 195). Including this event in the plot, Stockett allows the reader to relate to the fears of the characters in the book. Much like the fear experienced when a robbery in a nearby community occurs or a neighbor is kidnapped, the African American community was constantly reminded of the fear they had to live in after each racially motivated crime committed by the KKK.

Works Cited
History.com Staff. "Birmingham Church Bombing." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2010. Web. 10 May 2016.
History.com Staff. "King Speaks to March on Washington." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.
History.com Staff. "Medgar Evers Assassinated." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.

Evaluation
The Help is set in Mississippi during the time of the Civil Rights Movement and contains historical facts from beginning to end. By including historical information in the plot, the characters and events become more realistic and thus more vivid in the reader’s mind. In comparison to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, another book that intertwines historical information into its plot, The Help is more goal effective than To Kill a Mockingbird, despite their similar themes. To Kill a Mockingbird is centered around a court case in which an African American man is accused of rape and wrongly found guilty by the jury due to his race. On the other hand, The Help is a story about the hardships of the working African American woman during the time of the Civil Rights Era. While both of these stories deal with the struggle of the African American community during the same era, The Help is overall more effective because of its underlying humorous tone.
In The Help, the use of historical information is beautifully integrated into the plot so that the story line continues and is entertaining, yet remains historically accurate and informative. In addition, the historical information can be useful in the creation of a realistic setting for the novel. By using historical events, the mood is clearly felt by the reader and the setting gains an importance that is not evident in some books. The setting in The Help is more realistic than it would have been without historical information because without the historical information the sense of hardships felt by the African Americans and the constant fear they felt would have been diminished. Therefore, the use of historical information creates a more effective book with a more developed theme.
To Kill a Mockingbird can easily be compared to The Help due to their common theme and their use of historical information. Both novels are set in the South during a time where racism was deeply ingrained into society. To Kill a Mockingbird deals with Tom Robinson’s case in which he was accused of raping a white woman. The jury finds Tom guilty despite Atticus Finch’s solid case proving that he was not guilty. This guilty verdict was a testament to the racism that ran through the South, especially states like Alabama. Similarly to The Help, the historical information provides for a more effective and better-developed setting. Without being set in the South, the story would not have the same mood and would likely not have ended in a guilty sentence.
Both of these novels use historical information and literary tools to enhance the plot line and create a more developed setting. However, Stockett produced a more effective book through her use of historical information than Lee did. By allowing the reader to see the perspective of not only an African American but also a white person working alongside African Americans, Stockett produces a less bias book with a better understanding of both sides of racial discrimination. Oftentimes people believe that white people understood the oppression they were forcing upon African Americans, and to some extent they did, but it wasn’t until Skeeter worked with Minny and Aibileen that she started to notice the demeaning actions of her peers. The historical events in The Help also show how both African Americans and white people would have reacted to real-life events that happened in history, which makes the story more realistic. To Kill a Mockingbird also creates a plotline with more depth by taking advantage of the historical information from the time period in which the story is placed. However, the story is more biased and less effective due to its perspective being solely from a daughter who idolizes her father and isn’t African American rather than the perspective of multiple narrators to create a less bias book.