The Help
By: Shannon, Alexis, Kylie, and Lula
Summary
- Took place in 1964 in Jackson, Mississippi
- Jim Crow laws are still set laws, yet people are against African Americans and are racist. This sometimes leads to violence.
- African American maids work for the white families
- Skeeter Phelan returned home from college and her maid Constantine has disappeared
- Coming back from college, Skeeter realizes she’s became very different from her friends
- Skeeter gets a job as a writer in town for the local newspaper
- Skeeter has been secretly writing a book about the maid’s lives working for the white homes in the South
- Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson are maids that tell their stories to Skeeter in hope to make a change
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/h/the-help/book-summary
Characters
- Elizabeth Leefolts "help"
- Raised 17 white kids
- Has powerful prayers
- Minny's best friend
- Helps Skeeter write her book and miss myrna column because she is good at cleaning
Minny Jackson:
- Strong, will powered woman
- Great cook
- Has five kids, with an abusive husband
- Helps Skeeter write "The Help" and thinks of insurance
- Persuades other maids to provide their stories for "The Help"
- Has trouble being a maid because of her mouth
Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan:
- Tall, tom boy, civil with the help
- Writer of "The Help", and miss myrna column
- Breaks rules and gets kicked out of clubs
- Goes to college
- Grew up with Constantine as her help
- Mother gets sick
- Dates Staurt
Hilly Holbrook:
- President of Jackson Junior League
- Good mother, but described as a villain
- Sends money to starving African kids, but doesn't like the help
- Friends of Elizabeth and Skeeter (at the beginning)
Elizabeth Leefolt:
- Bad mom of Mae Mobley
- More poor than normal white family
- Built bathroom for Aibileen because Hilly made her
- Mean mother
- Serves Hilly
Mae Mobley Leefolt:
- Miss Leefolts daughter
- Aibileen's child
- Taught by Aibileen
Celia Rae Foote:
- Nice to Minny
- Doesn't tell her husband about Minny
- Has no friends
- Grew up very poor
- married Hilly's ex
Constantine Bates:
- Skeeters help when she was little
- Had a white daughter
- Moved to Chicago
- Reason why Skeeter wrote the book
Yule May Crookle:
- Went to jail for theft
- College educated
- This convinces other maids to work for Skeeter
Leroy Jackson:
- Minny's abusive husband
- Alcoholic
- brings out contradictions to Minny
Reverend Johnston:
- Brings church together to pray for Yule May
- Supports Skeeter and the maids
Charlotte Phelan:
- Skeeters judge mental mom
- dying of cancer
- Upset about engagement
Elaine Stein:
- Publishes Skeeters book
- Gets Skeeter a job in New York.
Staurt Whitworth Jr:
- Skeeter's love interest
- Previously engaged
- Engages to Skeeter and breaks it off because of book.
- Dad runs for senate
Book Review
Pros
- -The characters are funny
- -The story is easy to follow and gripping
- -It’s educational because it helps you understand the life of African Americans in that time period
Cons
- -It can be hard to understand the writing of the African American characters.
- -It has adult content
"I enjoyed this book a lot and I recommend it to anyone. It kept me wanting to read more." Shannon
"I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone!" Alexis
"I enjoyed reading The Help and it got better and better the more you read! It might seem like a big book but it goes by fast because you don't want to put it down." Kylie
"I think that this is a good book because it shows the relationship between African Americans and the white people they worked for. My favorite character is Aibileen because of her patience with everyone. I highly recommend this book with five stars!" Lula
Additional Sources
Themes in The Help
http://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-help/themesThe real story behind the movie
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/08/10/author-kathryn-stockett-on-the-real-story-behind-the-help/
Characters
http://www.shmoop.com/the-help/stuart-whitworth-jr.html
Overview
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/h/the-help/book-summary