I finally got around to reading
The Help this last week. I had heard about it, and I have been wanting to ready it for probably about a month now, but just never got around to it. I was in Target the other day, and finally bought it.
I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely similar to the Harper Lee book
To Kill A Mocking Bird, in that it takes place in the South and addresses racial issues that are happening at that time. This is Stockett's first novel but you wouldn't know it by reading the book. It took me about four days to finish the book, and that's mainly because we were busy this past weekend.
I'm not really sure what I liked best about the book. I enjoyed learning more about what the relationship was like between white women and their black maids back in the 1960s. I could feel myself cheering for these women to come out on top and make a difference. Their courage was amazing to me, especially Miss Skeeter because she had the most to lose.
It's hard for me to explain why I like a book, or put in my own thoughts, so I thought I would answer some of the "book club" questions that were in the end of the book because they brought up some interesting points.
1. Do you think racism is inherent or taught?
I think this is a very good question. I think racism is taught. When kids are little, they don't care what color someone's skin is, they learn to love people according to they way they are treated. This book is a good example. Mae Mobly, a white child, loves Aibileen, her black maid, and even calls her "momma" because Aibileen loves her and takes good care of her. However, once Mae Mobly goes to school her teachers tell her how much better white people are. Also, at home Mae Mobly gets yelled at by her mother for using Aibileen's bathroom, because black people are "diseased". I really believe that racism is taught to future generations through both words and actions. Unfortunately, there are still racist people, and it will probably always exist to a certain degree.
2. Do you think that one can be a good mother, and at the same time, a deeply flawed person?
This question is asking about Hilly. Hilly is an interesting character because she is probably the best mother out of all the white characters in the book, but she is also the meanest character. She shows nothing but love and affection for her children, but completely shuns Skeeter from her life once she finds out about Skeeter getting involved with civil rights. I do believe that Hilly is a deeply flawed person, but I don't think that she can be a good mother at the same time. Sure she shows those children love and takes care of them, but what types of morals and belief systems is she teaching her children. What would she have done if one of her children had become friends with a black child? Being a mother is more than just taking care of your childrens' physical needs. I just don't believe that Hilly could have raised her children to be good, kind-hearted people, actions do speak louder than words.
3. Who was your favorite character, and why?
I really enjoyed all the main characters (Minny, Skeeter, and Aibileen) but I would have to say Skeeter is my favorite. I'm not picking her because she's white, I am picking her because I feel like she decided what she wanted, she went after it, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She wanted to try and help black maids by making the nation aware of how terrible their working conditions are and how little they get paid. She decided to do this by writing a book based on interviews with the maids.
Skeeter had little to gain and a lot to lose by writing this book. She ended up being outcasted by all of her friends (and eventually the entire town), she gave up an engagement to a man she loved, and she lost her job working on a newsletter for the League. She also wrote the book anonymously, so she didn't get any public credit for all of her hard work. She risked a lot to help the maids try to improve their living situation.
I am just impressed with how much courage Skeeter had. I mean in was the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. All the women who worked on the book risked a lot to try and improve their lives. It is people like these that helped form the Civil Rights Movement and bring equality for all.
I guess I just really enjoyed this book. I have always been impressed by people like Martin Luther Kind Jr, Rosa Parks, and Abraham Lincoln, who are willing to fight for what they believe is right, no matter the consequences. I like to think that if I had been around in the 1960s I would have been one of those people advocating for blacks' rights. I maybe wouldn't have been a public figure, but I would have been trying to find any way to help that I could. It make me feel ashamed to think about how white people treated black people back in the 1960s, but I am proud of how far America has come.
Books like
The Help remind us of our history, but they also remind us that even the most ordinary people have the ability to do extraordinary things when they put all their effort into doing the right thing.
I highly recommend this book. I also plan to see the movie sometime in the near future, I have heard it is very good. Thanks for reading my thoughts and ideas on this book, and feel free to share your own!
