Reading "The Help"

 "The Help" is a 2009 book by American author Kathryn Stockett. It tells the story of three women : Miss Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. Aibileen and Minny are Black maids whereas Miss Skeeter is a  rich young white lady. The novel takes place in the 60's in Jackson, Missisipi, where segregation was still in effect. The Help is a 2 million copy bestseller (which doesn't necessarily means that it's good, but if it can convince you to read it then keep in mind that it had a great success). 

Therefore, let's start with what I liked:

- Accessibility:

It is very easy to read. The plot is quite captivating and easy to understand. 

- The mise en abyme: 

Stockett tells the story of a young white lady (Miss Skeeter) who decides to write a book about maids working conditions. Therefore, she starts interviewing Aibileen, her friend Elizabeth's maid, which is also a narrator . Then, Aibileen's best friend (Minny) accepts to be interviewed by Miss Skeeter. Thus, it creates a triangular relationship between the three women who become friends. 

Miss Skeeter aims to collect enough maids interviews to write an entire book, which makes The Help a mise en abyme: it is the story of a lady who wants to write a story about maids. At the end, Miss Skeeter names her book Help, due to a Minny's proposition.  

- The three voices narration

The book is divided in parts, which are divided in chapters. Each part is told by one of the three protagonists. So the book starts with Aibileen's part, then it's Minny's and then Miss Skeeter's. It alternates between the three women all along the book. 

- Minny

Minny is my favourite character. According to me, she is the most passionate of the three. She seems to draw her force from a mix of anger and love, which makes her a complex character. She lives difficult things like violence from her husband who beat her when he's angry. She has several kids and fight for their life conditions. In brief, I love the way she describes what's around her. She seems to live everything so intensely.  

Furthermore, Minny is depicted as a (too) honest maid. She has been fired from several jobs due to her strong character. Even if that wouldn't be easy to live, it makes her an interesting character. 

What I disliked/ questions me:

- The use of American Black community's dialect. 

Minny's narration is very particular: it is full of grammar mistakes and mispelling, but it's actually made on purpose, I think  because it gives a realistic idea of how poor Black workers were talking at that time. I wondered if it was condescending to imitate the language of a Black maid in the 60's, but I actually think it's done with a lot of respect. 

- Intersectionality :

Intersectionality is the idea of a correlation between several societal issues. For example, if you're Black, disabled and poor, you're victim of intersectional discrimination. In The Help, Kathryn Stockett denounces racism but she also denounces sexism through Minny, who is a victim of marital violence. But the problem is that she just describes it as a "bad thing" without really analysing it. I think this story would have been even more interesting through an intersectional approach, as in Adichie's books for example. 

the poster of the 2011 cinematographic adaptation of The Help. I think they used children for the poster because they wanted to show the impact of socialisation...

Here are extracts that affected me when I read the book: 

"But Aibileen" - Miss Hilly smile real cold- "colored people and white people are just so ... different". She wrinkle up her nose. I feel my lip curling. A course we different ! Everbody know colored people and white people ain't the same. But we still just people !  Aibileen, page 186

"She (Celia, a wealthy white woman) just don't see em. The lines. Not between her and me, nor between her and Hilly". Aibileen takes a long sip of her tea. Finally I look at her. "What you so quiet for ? I know you got a opinion bout all this." "You gone accuse me a philosophizing." "Go ahead," I say. "I ain't afraid a no philosophy." "It ain't true." "Say what?" "You talking about something that don't exist." I shake my head at my friend. "Not only is they lines, but you know good as I do where them lines be drawn." Aibileen shakes her head. "I used to believe in em. I don't anymore. They in our heads. People like Miss Hilly is always trying to make us believe they there. But they ain't." Aibileen, page 312

I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of The Help. I strongly advise you to read it (you can find it at the Alcazar or in Book in bar, I guess... :) ) Don't hesitate to give other book ideas in the comments :) Eva