The Help Fall Reading Essay

The Help fall reading essay

In literature characters struggle. They struggle with family, social, and emotional issues. Minny Jackson, one of the three main characters in the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett deals with racism in the south in the 1960s. In the book, Minny deals with separate bathrooms and being treated with no respect due to her color. The author uses three characters point of view to convey the reader’s understanding.

In Jackson Mississippi in the 1960s racism was a big impact on colored people. In The Help the author states several times how Minny Jackson was a victim to racism. In The Help it states multiple times that the help such as Minny Jackson had to use separate bathrooms on the job. Kathryn Stockett brought this subject up a lot because she wanted to show the readers how bad Minny and all the characters are being treated because they are colored. In the book Stockett says “ it get bad in the winter going to the bathroom.” (Page 117,Stockett) During this time period racism was huge and colored woman had to walk outside in the winter just to use the restroom because non-colored people thought they had diseases and wouldn’t let them go in there bathroom.Not only did Minny Jackson and her colored friends had to use separate bathrooms but Minny was treated horrible by the white woman she worked who was Miss Hilly. Kathryn Stockett also grew up with her grandparents having help. Stocketts help growing up was Demetrie. Stockett states to writer Jessamy Calkin “ Did Demetrie have her own bathroom? Stockett looks steadily at me. Yes.”(The maids tale) In the novel Minny is always being accused of stealing and bad behavior by Miss Hilly. Minny took care of Miss Hilly and her mom Miss Walter. Miss Hilly fired Minny for unjustified reasons but Miss Hilly's mom liked Minny so Minny had no reason to be fired. Aibileen Minny's friend says “ Even though Minny already had her last day at work three days ago, Miss Walter call Minny in secret last night, ask her to come in.”(Page 132,Stockett) Minny was being mistreated by the woman she worked for and a big part of that is because she is colored.

Kathryn Stockett shows the reader Minny's issues by using dual narrative. The narrators are divided by chapters. For example in the book Minny will narrate for two chapters and then Aibileen will narrate for two chapters. Stockett does this to get more information on the characters through different people. In