Fiche de lecture - La Couleur des Sentiments en Anglais

Jacques

NKENG

1°AGB

Book report

        « The Help » is a novel written by Kathryn Stockett and published in 2009. The novel tells the story of black maids working in white households in the late 1960’s in Jackson, Mississippi. The chapters are narrated through the eyes of three main characters: Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson and Skeeter Phelan. This book has been a great success since its publication and even stayed more than a hundred weeks on The New York Time Best Seller list.  In 2011, the novel was adapted into film by Walt Disney Studios which gave more visibility to the novel of Kathryn Stockett. During my reading, I was particularly touched by the themes that were explored and in my opinion the success of the book is partly due to the themes. In this book report, I am going to talk about the main themes in “The Help”: racism, motherhood, being a woman in 1960s and revenge. Finally, I will do a general comment on the characters development.

First and foremost, the main theme in the novel is racism but in “The Help” racism is explored with a sense of humor. This sense of humor makes the environment less violent because the book describes black maids’ everyday life, and they are constantly the victim of racism. For example, Miss Hilly one of Skeeter's friends considers that black people are unclean, and they carry diseases. This character typically represents the white people mentality in the 1960’s in the United States. Throughout the story, she is going to affirm her opposition against black maids, and she will lead many initiatives to make them uncomfortable such as creating separate toilets for black and white. In addition to the fact that black maids are not allowed to sit at white people's table, share their food, or even touch them. These everyday practices dehumanize the maids and make it easier for the housewives to exploit their maids’ labor. Furthermore, the city Jackson and the south of United States is known to be racist, and Kathryn Stockett adds elements that transcripts this environment of tension who reigns in the city. Indeed, the chapter 7, says that Robert, the grandson of Aibileen's friend, Louvenia was beaten and blinded and left for dead in the street because he used white bathroom. Or, when she mentions the march that Martin Luther King led on March 1963 in Washington. We can see that Jackson is a city where black people live in constant fear. This fear can be seen in the relationship of the three main characters: Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. Indeed, when they secretly meet each other at Aibileen's house, the three characters are afraid to be seen together because a meeting between a white and two blacks’ people could threaten the lives. Especially for Minny Jackson because she is the mother of five kids, and she is pregnant.

Moreover, one of the themes that affected me a lot is motherhood. The role of the mother is very important, and I had the impression that the novel delivers a review of this theme. Black maids are raising white children like Aibileen raises Mae Mobley but their bond between them is so strong that Mae Mobley considers Aibileen as her real mother. From my point of view, it is a way to criticize the system where mothers let other women take care of their child's education. For example, Mrs. Leefolt is often seen as a source of fear and discomfort for her daughter. Many times, Aibileen emphasizes how Mae Mobley fears her mother that often hits her. Aibileen also explains that Mrs. Leefolt does not take of her daughter enough and she wonders how things would be for Mae Mobley if she was not here. Despite the criticism of this system, it is also a way of praising black housekeepers. Black maids appear to play a very important role in white children's education. They appear much more than simple housekeepers but real mothers for these children. And in this sense, that makes the greatness of these maids and they are distinguished by the kindness and the values ​​that they learn to these children. They play the role of a real mother for these children and they appear with great intellectual depth. This mother-daughter relationship is represented by the bond between Mae Mobley and Aibileen. It is more striking because Aibileen lost her son in a car accident and it conveys how the love of a mother is unconditional and eternal. Minny Jackson as well represents how important the role of a mother is. Indeed, even though she seems to be very impartial and hard with her kids, for Minny Jackson her kids are her priority. Every decision and choice she must make in the novel, she makes this choice depending on what is good or not good for her children. For example, she accepts to work for Mrs. Celia Foote even though Celia Foote’s husband is unaware that her wife hired a maid. This situation can be very dangerous for Minny because she is scared that her husband discovers this secret. She accepts this work proposition for her children because she needs a job to feed them and to give them the best possible living conditions. We can see that the role of the mother is essential because she brings support and daily love. This relationship that unites the mother to her children is eternal and endless.

Thirdly, the novel “The Help” transcribe the mentality of the 1960s in the United States regarding the place of women in society. Indeed, throughout my lecture, I felt how women are limited in society and they are constantly associated with stereotypes. Skeeter represents the fight the women will have to lead to be treated equally as men. Skeeter Phelan opposes herself to this model where women, to succeed in society must marry a wealthy and a rich man. Man also considers that women are inferior to them. They think that women between them are doing a race to find the best husband possible to have the best living conditions. Counter to her friend like Mrs. Leefolt or Mrs. Hilly who forces Skeeter to find a boyfriend and leave her parent's house, Skeeter wants to challenge the rules of society and affirm her intelligence on her own and not by the help of a man. I like this character and her honesty makes her character with a strong personality. For example, she does not hesitate to express her opinion without restraint to Stuart, the senator's son. Her strong temper makes her charm because Stuart develops feeling for her. Furthermore, she also shows that women are limited in society at the beginning of the novel when she was looking for a job. Skeeter wants to be a journalist and when she applies to a press agency. The head of the agency despite the fact she has a degree from university because she is a woman, the boss does not take her qualification seriously and he applies her to a work of great simplicity. It is only at the end of the book that we see a small change in the place of women in society because Skeeter will detach herself from her stereotype by virtue of her work, she will distinguish herself. The book she decided to write with the help of Aibileen, Minny, and other maids became a great success in all the city. She affirmed her intelligence through her book and joined a prestigious journalist agency. Just like racism and segregation in the United States against African Americans, we see that the place of women in society is also changing. This evolution is embodied by Skeeter who by defying the codes of society and by the strength of her work shows that women are equal to men and she affirms herself in a patriarchal society.