The novel The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, which was also made into a motion picture, is one of the most inspiring books i have ever read. . The pages are filled with a whirlwind of emotions including, laughter, sympathy, sorrow and pride. The story is told through many peoples point of views. Minnie, is a plump, African American women with enough attitude and confidence that could blow you away. Abileen is also an African American women, but she is soft spoken and cares for all children as if they were her own. Finally, Skeeter is white woman, who isnt afraid to stand up for what she believes in and also has aspirations to be a writer. These three women and narrator's of the story should be considered "heros" or role models in everyone's eyes.
Stockett not only wrote a phenomonal story, but was able to portray her characters in a way that was impossible to forget. She wrote and added different anctedotes with relevant details to keep the reader wanting more. For example, Stockett wrote about Aibileen's relationship with Mae Mobley, the daughter of one of the familie's she was a maid for. Her love and compassion for her was heart wrenching and made me love that little girl as well. She also told about Minnie's hard marriage with her abusive husband and how she had to raise her own children in such an unstable environment. I couldnt help but want to give her everything she needed to get out. Finally, Skeeter was established as not the most attractive woman, but someone who didnt care what the social norm was, and would help someone in a heartbeat whether they were black or white. Most importantly, Skeeter was looked up as a great person in society in which is everything she deserved. These character's were brought to my attention as intriguing indivuduals with hearts of gold.
I've never read The Help, but I've heard awesome things about it. I really love how you said "Her love and compassion for her was heart wrenching and made me love that little girl as well". That's such a powerful statement. Love can be conveyed through words, and when it does it's kind of magical. If we are reading about a mother and child, we can sometimes feel the mother's unconditional love. It's like we get to step in someone else's shoes for just a moment. You made a great connection with these characters :)
ReplyDeleteThe Help was a book I kept telling myself to read because it seemed so interesting but I never got around to it! I heard it was an amazing book and film, but I see it in how you wrote this blog! Your feelings show through your words, which is great! For example, the sentence in which you claimed you loved the little girl or where you wish you could have given everything to Minnie to help her get out of the abusive relationship. Besides the book, this says a lot about you!
ReplyDeleteI like how you not only tell about the storyline of "The Help" , but also how you share your personal feelings about the characters in the book. For me personally, Aibileene’s famous line of “You is kind, you is smart, you is important” really hits hard. Especially when she says it to Mae Mobley. In fact, I may have just shed a tear on that part…
ReplyDeleteAlso, I looked at the characters for not only who they are as individuals, but also what parts of the society in time of the book they symbolize. Take Skeeter for example, the reader automatically picks up on her support for the civil rights of blacks and compassionate behavior towards them. This is what comes from just reading the text. What Skeeter may actually represent is the white population in the South at the time that did take a stand against the inequality the black population faced. Aibileene, on the other hand, is a very soft-spoken and compassionate colored maid. Therefore, she represents those in the black population who kept their heads down and went along with everything without question. Unlike Aibileene, Minnie was loud, outspoken, and not afraid to speak her mind. For this reason, she represents those of the black population who spoke their minds and engaged in the protests and civil rights movements of the time. As for the rest of Skeeter’s “friends”, they represent the part of the white population that wanted nothing to do with anything that went against the law of segregation.
Anyway, you made a great point of how you felt reading about the characters and how your felt what they were going through individually as a result of the anecdotes provided by the author. Personally, I also love the characters of Minnie, Skeeter, and Aibileene in the book. For me, their personalities just make the story come alive. The fact that readers of The Help are so “close” with these characters even contributes to the success of the book. I mean, how could you not love these three?