The Help & Ariel Flashcards
The Help: Context
> The novel was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr, The Civil Rights Movement and the Jim Crow Laws.
> Set in Jackson, Mississippi from 1962-64
> Written by Kathryn Stockett and was published in 2009.
> “The Help” were maids and caretakers who worked for wealthy white families.
> In the 1960s whites and coloureds were always separated unless the coloureds worked for the white families.
> Point of View: First person narrative from the 3 protagonists; Miss Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny.
> Direct speech was used. Gives readers an insight on the tone of voice and body language. Makes the dialogue more realistic.
However, Stockett also used Free direct speech. This fastens the pace of the dialogue and focuses on what is being said.
Dialogue was very Naturalistic.
Theme: Racism
“‘I did not raise you to use the colored bathroom!’ I hear her hiss-whispering” - Aibileen, chapter 7
> The start of the quote shows how much Leefolt conforms to the racial beliefs about race. Suddenly when Mae Mobley doesn’t conform to the segregation beliefs, Elizabeth takes on the role of the good mother. This contrasts her typical neglectful behaviour. This is important as it highlights Elizabeth’s parenting skills. She doesn’t care what her daughter is up to as long as she is not socialising with the coloured people or their facilities.
> The oxymoron and use of sibilance “hiss-whispering” reflects Elizabeth’s character. A “hiss” is a sharp sibilant sound, however, a “whisper” is murmuring very softly. She wants to sound harsh but her apparent nurturing instincts come in and realise that Mae Mobley is only young so shouting at her is not the best way to tackle the ‘issue’.
> This could also show that Elizabeth doesn’t want Aibileen to hear because she might feel bad or guilty. This makes readers sympathise towards Elizabeth.
Theme: Gender / Power
“All my life I’d been told what to believe about politics, coloreds, being a girl {…} I realised I actually had a choice of what I could believe.” - Skeeter
> This is a critical moment in the relationship between Constantine and Skeeter because it plants a rebellious seed in Skeeter’s heart. Constantine’s wise words have enlightened her and have made her realise that she will not let others tell her what to think.
> Society and her parents have taught her that coloured people are second class and deserve to be separated from the whites. By Skeeter writing “The Help” her rebellion is powerful and her determination to change society’s views is very clear.
> The use of “Actually” makes it seem that she’s surprised to have rebellious thoughts. This reflects society in the 1960s. Parents would force beliefs so hard upon their children, especially daughters, that they begin to think they have no choice in what they think or they don’t know what else to believe about certain topics. Skeeter breaks this which shows her power not to conform.
> Girls were taught that in order to be successful, they must get married and have children. Skeeter again breaks this tradition and puts her career first not thinking about dating or children.
> In 1966, Rotter proposed the concept of Locus of Control. A LoC is what an individual think directs their behaviour and life goals. Those with an internal LoC often behave in a way which is not dictated by society (conformity) or authority figures (obedience). Skeeter could be described as having an internal LoC. This is because she resists pressure to conform and obey and she is in less need to have social approval.
Theme: Power / Racism
“I use my colored bathroom from now on. And then I go on and Clorox the white bathroom again real good.” _ Aibileen.
> Some readers could argue that she is subtly mocking the whole idea of coloured bathrooms and the idea that they carry different diseases to whites. However, the emphasis on subtlety is crucial because it shows she is repressing her true emotions due to her not wanting to get fired. This shows the lack of power Aibileen holds.
> This quote exemplifies the paradoxical and contradictory nature of race relations of the time. It is perfectly acceptable for a black woman to clean up after a white family or to care for their children, but it is unacceptable for her to use the same facilities.
> Some readers could read this as Aibileen saying this in a rehearsed and robotic way. This could have been done by Stockett to show Aibileen’s lack of emotion being expressed and this reflects 1960s society. White people didn’t care what coloured people thought, just that they had to obey what they say.
Stockett could have also done this because Aibileen is so used to being discriminated against that she has learnt to repress her anger or her upset.
> From a Freudian viewpoint it seems that Aibileen’s Ego is the dominant part of her subconscious mind. Her Id is repressed which prevents her from showing her anger.
However, some could argue that due to her situation she has been conditioned to repress her true feelings. The idea of Operant Conditioning, Negative Reinforcement may explain why Aibileen avoids showing anger. She is avoiding an unpleasant situation (getting fired) by repressing her anger.
Theme: Power / Racism
“I want to stop that moment from coming… when they start to think that colored folks ain’t as good as whites” - Aibileen
> This quote is important because it tells us the mindset of Aibileen. Despite working for white families for decades, she has not let any bigoted view brainwash her mind.
> The use of “I want” shows how strongly she feels about her views. But it also shows her lack of power. She can want and hope all she wants but realistically those things aren’t going to make a significant difference to society’s views.
> "That moment" is when the child's mind becomes corrupted and brainwashed and they start behaving like their parents. The consonance of 'T' gives the phrase a harsh sound to it which could be deliberate by Stockett. This reflects Aibileen's thoughts and anger. > It could also reflect the harshness of the situation. She will raise a child and they will start to treat her like a second class citizen.
Theme: Equality / Love
“We are just two people. Not much separates us” - Skeeter
> This quote shows the simplicity of Skeeter’s thoughts. The use of “just” makes it seem like she doesn’t seem to understand how people think coloureds should be separated from whites.
> The second sentence shows Skeeter’s naivety. She may not believe the treatment of black people is right but many things separate herself from black people. Including race, education, freedom, class and wealth.
> The short sentences could also reflect the separation between whites and coloureds. Although Skeeter is talking about equality, the separation of the quote reflects 1960s society.
The short sentences supports the idea of Skeeter’s thoughts being simplistic as she doesn’t complicate things. This gets her point across in a short and sharp way. This technique typically hits the readers because it keeps them engaged.
Theme: Death / Racism
“She reads about how his broken body was thrown on the back of a pickup.” - Skeeter (about Aibileen’s son)
> This quote enlightens the readers of the brutal treatment towards black people.
> The consonance of ‘B’ creates a harsh effect on the sentence. This possibly could reflect the harsh treatment coloured people received.
However, the consonance could be symbolic of the official ending of Treelore’s dream. He wanted to write a book called “The Invisible Man”. Considering his dream would have never come true because he is black but he still had hoped but his death solidifies his broken dream.
> “thrown” means to propel with force this is important because it shows that the white men showed no remorse for killing Treelore. Stockett could have done this to increase the reader’s sympathy for Aibileen. However, this quote is said by Skeeter so it makes us emotionally distant from Aibileen’s story.
Theme: Power /. Equality
“I never in my life had a white woman tell me to sit down so she can serve me a cold drink.” - Minny
> the consonance of ‘w’ gives sentence euphony which could be deliberate by Stockett. She may have done this bring peace to the readers. This could reflect the peace of the relationship between Minny and Celia.
> Even the open-mindedness of Celia cannot prevent the demands and orders given to Minny. Even when she treats her with respect, she is conditioned to make orders towards the help.
> The sibilance makes it have a soothing sound and slows the down the pace of the quote.
> Starts and ends the sentence in a soothing, peaceful manner.
> Beck’s Negative Triad: Negative view of the world and future.
Theme: Racism
“the burning or the cutting or the beating, you realize something you known all your life: the white lady don’t ever forget”
> the lexical field of violence and torture is presented which could be reflecting of contextual references. The KKK was a prominent part of the white supremacy in Mississippi .
> the colon could be a representation of the inevitably of something bad is always going to come
> the italicised ever is important
> Link to daddy / the nazi references.
Theme: Power
“There are white men out there hungry to hear…ready with they wooden bats, matchsticks. Any little thing will do.”
> Metaphorical, figurative language used to symbolise the desire for power.
> Wood suggests strength and inflexibility which reflects the power and strength white men had in the 1960s society.
Robert Frost used woods to represent life, and there is a similar idea behind the phrase “miss the forest for the trees.”
> “Any little thing will do” suggests that the white men use anything to show their dominance over coloured people.
Theme: Power
“I don’t care about telling white people how it feel” - Minny
> vernacular dialect. Defiant and assertive tone. Contradicts to her power in the social hierarchy
Theme: Racism / Power
“Separate but equal… you can’t argue with the
government”
> government is italicised which emphasises the importance and power of the government because they consist of white males
> creates a symbolic division of power
Theme: Love / Power
“Why? Why I have to stand here and agree with her? And if Mae Mobley gone hear it, she gone hear some sense. I get my breath. My heart beating hard.”
> repetition of why, shows sincere and sadness
Theme: Power / Foreshawdowing
“Out of nowhere, a big heavy cloud cover the sun. I spec we about to get a shower”
Theme: Power
“No, white womens like to keep they hands clean”
