The Help: Racism in America - Essay Example

The summary of the book and the movie is about a lady named Skeeter who had gone to study in Mississippi. After her studies, she came back home only to find that her childhood maid had left. This disturbed her so much because she knew that the maid would not go without informing her. Consequently, this made her solicit her friend to allow her maid Aibileen Clark to help her with domestic chores. The themes of racial injustice and gender and class are appreciably characterized in both the movie and the book.

“A bill that requires every white home to have a separate bathroom for the coloured help. I’ve even notified the surgeon general of Mississippi to see if he’ll endorse the idea” (Stockett, 9). This quote is from one of the characters named Hilly Holbrook in the book or movie The Help. His words show the racism that exists in Mississippi. In America, racism was once prominent but it is going down with time (Cozic and Dudley).  After her return, Skeeter became uncomfortable with the way the house helps were treated by her friends. Her friend Hilly had a separate bathroom for the blacks her reason being that her family may get infected with the black’s diseases. Because of this, Skeeter decided to publish a book by the name ‘The Help’. At first, the maids were reluctant to share their problems with her, but they later felt that their problems could be solved. One of the maids named Aibileen shared with Skeeter after finding out that her friend had been fired because she used her boss’s bathroom. Minny, the maid, who was sent away, also shared her story. She later finds a job in Celia’s mansion who is Johnny’s wife where she is treated well compared to the other boss.

One of the themes that are both in the book and the movie is racial injustice. This theme is more evident in the book than the movie because in the movie Skeeter takes a seat to talk to Aibileen about her idea of publishing a book. This could not have occurred in the book as there was an apparent difference between the whites and the blacks. This is manifested in the way that most blacks are the ones who are employed by the whites and they are being mistreated because of their color. Aibileen who was a dedicated house help has spent almost her life taking care of white children. Minny also is a maid and because of her outspokenness, she always gets fired. This shows that blacks are not allowed to give their views because their views are considered to be of no importance. Racism is also seen when Hilly, Minny’s boss fires her after finding out that she used their bathroom during a thunderstorm instead of using hers which is outside the house. Hilly believes that the blacks have diseases and therefore they have to use their bathrooms. This is evident when he says, “All these houses they are building without maid’s quarters? It’s just plain dangerous. Everybody knows they carry different diseases than we do” (Stockett, 8). Hilly spoils Minny’s reputation, making it difficult for her to find a job. Minny’s daughter, therefore, has to stop schooling and look for an occupation as a maid. Aibileen finds a job for Minny where she is treated better than where she was before. Skeeter later finds out that their maid Constantine was sent away because her mother did not want Constantine to be seen by other guests during a celebration. Her mother was guilty about it but they found out that Constantine died just after leaving Jackson. Aibileen was sent away after Hilly insisted that she had stolen silver from her boss Elizabeth.

The second theme both in the movie and the book is class and gender. However, it is more evident in the book than in the movie because, in the book, the difference between the social classes is more intense. The whites do not share the bathroom with the blacks as in the movie where we see the maids sharing bathrooms with their bosses. This theme is prominent when we see that most ladies in the area go to the university to look for husbands. Women were expected to be homemakers. This was not Skeeter’s dream. Instead, she wanted to become a writer. When she came back home from school, her mother and some of her friends wanted her to get married but she refused. Underclass, Elizabeth Leefolt’s home and attires already show the kind of a woman she was. She tried to be classy like other people by having a house help. Her husband did not think of having another bathroom, but she insisted even though it was costly. Her friend Hilly helped her to have a different bathroom for Aibileen. In both the book and the movie, the difference in lifestyles between the maids and the employers is seen. Celia is thought to have gotten married to a person of a higher class than her since she came from a poor part of Mississippi. Celia also wanted to have a housemaid because Johnny her husband had money. She first thought that Minny would refuse to accept the job because the house was quite big. But Minny had to accept the job because she was desperate. Minny is paid well than when she was working for Hilly as stated by the character.

The two themes, racial injustice and gender and class have been explained well in the book.  Skeeter the main character in both the movie and the book ‘The Help’ has explained how racism can cause discrimination. In the book and the movie one of the maids died after being fired. This shows that she was desperate and this could have led to her death. Therefore, from the story, racism is a vice that can cause a lot of harm to society (Harris, 97).