Hey guys, sorry this blog took so long! As usual, exams, coursework and the cheeky night out took over which resulted in hobbies lagging behind...
'The Help' is about African American maids in Jackson, Mississippi working in the early 1960s. The story is revolved around three main protagonists Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter, two maids and a white upper class woman who not only go against society but their families.
Not gonna lie, absolutely loved this novel! The depiction of not only how the maids are treated, but how the upper class women treat each-other is very realistic. The bitchiness between this group of women is almost as horrific as how they treat their help. They moan and bitch about the other wives as much as they bully and repress their maids. Hilly Holbrook is the worst of the lot. She's the one who attempts to introduce separate toilets for the different races. I absolutely loved it when Minny stood up for herself against the 'Queen Bee' of the group, Hilly by baking a rather interesting cake!
Skeeter's romance with the rather allusive but interesting Mr Stuart Whitworth is another pain in the side for me, it's very aggravating to know that people judge/ judged solely on skin colour and even would reject others for their involvement with African Americans. He loved Eugenia (Skeeter) but when Hilly poisoned him against her, he dropped her quicker than a hot pan. The relationship between Minny and her husband is another point in the story which shocked me, the sheer violence in-which she lived is utterly disgraceful.
Although this novel is primarily about racism, it also has a feministic theme throughout it and for the main characters it's a journey towards independence. Skeeter gets away from the shallow world that she's grown up in and gets herself a new job with a newspaper, Minny leaves her abusive husband and learns to stand on her own two feet and Aibileen learns that she doesn't have to stick the abuse and that it's possible for a her to feel powerful and free.
All in all guys, this is a vitally important novel not only for racism but for women too AND well worth a read! So if your interested in fiery women and a few laughs then this is for you. :)
'The Help' is about African American maids in Jackson, Mississippi working in the early 1960s. The story is revolved around three main protagonists Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter, two maids and a white upper class woman who not only go against society but their families.
Not gonna lie, absolutely loved this novel! The depiction of not only how the maids are treated, but how the upper class women treat each-other is very realistic. The bitchiness between this group of women is almost as horrific as how they treat their help. They moan and bitch about the other wives as much as they bully and repress their maids. Hilly Holbrook is the worst of the lot. She's the one who attempts to introduce separate toilets for the different races. I absolutely loved it when Minny stood up for herself against the 'Queen Bee' of the group, Hilly by baking a rather interesting cake!
Skeeter's romance with the rather allusive but interesting Mr Stuart Whitworth is another pain in the side for me, it's very aggravating to know that people judge/ judged solely on skin colour and even would reject others for their involvement with African Americans. He loved Eugenia (Skeeter) but when Hilly poisoned him against her, he dropped her quicker than a hot pan. The relationship between Minny and her husband is another point in the story which shocked me, the sheer violence in-which she lived is utterly disgraceful.
Although this novel is primarily about racism, it also has a feministic theme throughout it and for the main characters it's a journey towards independence. Skeeter gets away from the shallow world that she's grown up in and gets herself a new job with a newspaper, Minny leaves her abusive husband and learns to stand on her own two feet and Aibileen learns that she doesn't have to stick the abuse and that it's possible for a her to feel powerful and free.
All in all guys, this is a vitally important novel not only for racism but for women too AND well worth a read! So if your interested in fiery women and a few laughs then this is for you. :)
Annie x
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