The Help

By Kathryn Stockett

This post is organized into three sections. The first section serves to share the general background information necessary. Then, discussion of the various characters (and their sub-characters) from the book. Lastly, a conclusion section will bring overarching ideas and thoughts into picture. Notes pertaining to the film will be in italics.

I decided to read this book because my friend suggested to me twice in a few months. Over the holiday break I saw a beautiful and pristine copy on the clearance shelf of Half Price Books for $2.00. And it is not a book that I was immediately pulled to, like some Young Adult novels. But I decided to take the journey anyway because I have read The Color Purple and Huckleberry Finn and gained value from their pages. They are not my favorite books, but they are worth reading and have enhanced my understanding of the world. 

As I read, my excitement grew to watch the film adaptation. My mental movie was so beautiful, I couldn't wait to see what they were able to achieve on the Silver Screen.

I had a difficult time picking a genre as there are a couple options. Do you choose drama because the story is dramatic? Do you choose historical fiction because it discusses historical events? Do you choose romance because of the romantic sections and swoon-worthy moments? Ultimately, I decided upon realistic fiction because there was not one historically documented event we surrounded and the romantic sections were just a small piece to the puzzle. And, truly, the whole experience seems realistic. (I do not personally have the experience in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi to validate this claim. It is a leap of faith.) 

My reading speed changed based on which perspective I was reading. Aibileen read the slowest for me and Miss Skeeter is the quickest with Minny falling in the middle. The Benefit chapter was fun because it was not from any one party in particular's perspective. The narration just followed the action.  

Aibileen 

Her story was difficult for me to relate to as surface level plot points. When you go a layer deeper into her motivations, though, the undeniable connection to her develops. I imagine many readers feel similarly. I loved reading about her interactions and intentions with Mae Mobley. I understand the importance of duty above all else, a consistent theme I've enjoyed in recent characters (the queen in The Crown). And I understand that, beyond duty, there is also self preservation. I believe that both duty and self preservation are at Aibileen's core. She is an admirable woman.

I love that her prayers are special and like magic (both for the good and not-so-good), and that she was brave enough to talk to Skeeter in the first place. And then she kept inviting Skeeter over and clearly showed a passion for the work they were doing. I found it interesting that in the movie there were parts that Aibileen actually wrote for Skeeter, more as if to convey it was Aibileen's book instead of Skeeter's. I was surprised by the casting of Viola Davis. I anticipated a character that looks more like Queen Latifah or the movie's imagining of Minny's working daughter, Sugar. 

Minny

Minny is Octavia Spencer. When a character is designed with the inspiration of a specific person, and then such a person portrays that character; something magical happens in the world.

Minny is sass and power. I agree with Aibileen when she notes that she's glad she's Minny's friend. I would NOT want to be on the opposing side of Minny, ever.

I love her relationship with Celia; love that Minny and Johnny Foote are excellent together. There was such a risk of what his character could be... with all of that decor... but the result was absolutely fantastic. Pork chops all around!

The film version of Minny was too soft. Her spirit was dampened and muted and that was disappointing.

Skeeter

Currently in love with Skeeter and all that is her. I love the 'weird' girl in the social club. I love the writer of topics worthy of note. I love the speaking your mind even (/especially) to boys. 

Speaking of boys,  let's discuss Stuart. He started off so incredibly terribly. I have never seen or heard of a worse first date. There was such potential for that character arc, but once he broke it off at his parents house (respectfully), the true futility of his relationship with Skeeter was visible. I cannot even believe that he proposed. His head and motivations just seemed incredibly ill-founded and misplaced. Especially with Skeeter being so illusive and secretive and independent, if you really claim to know her, you know there's always more to the equation than just surface level understanding. She's not going to answer a question you didn't ask, so you better ask the right questions. Even then, though, she might just choose to omit something based on strategy. 

Much like his character, the movie adaptation of Stuart's character development fell flat. In the book there is a real connection between Skeeter and Stuart and in the movie it all seems transparent. Skeeter doesn't seem actually invested in him like we learned in the book (through perception into her thoughts) she clearly was.

Skeeter was designed to go away. She started burning these bridges and it was clear that her path would ultimately lead elsewhere. There was no reason or driving force for her to stay in Jackson. Even if she were with Stuart, I believe they could have/ should have moved elsewhere in the state.

We knew Constantine's story would be finally revealed at the end of the book... definitely does not highlight Mother well, and I thought that the conversation between Skeeter and her mother about Constantine would kill Mother, for sure. Did the film make Rachel (Constantine's daughter) black instead of white for sake of time/no desire to elaborate into that subject line? White Rachel coming in and signing up to join the DAR is way more juicy than the movie version of the scene. Unfortunate loss of substance in translation.

I cannot believe that Mother is not dead. Stockett pulled a trick on her readers... After a rough patch of Mother's health we open to a scene that had Skeeter in black, talking about how she'll never forget that day, biting her nails, remembering every single detail... then its about the book and Mother is not even mentioned! 

I wish they kept the finale with Hilly, Mother, and Skeeter the same as the book. In the book the reason Mother is successful in removing Hilly because Hilly did not know about Mother's health conditions. Also, Mother went on and on about Hilly's appearance and did her typical thing and shut down any other conversation attempts. Hilly was ill-prepared to think that Mother was just going to sit and listen to what she had to say. In the film, Mother was not deathly ill and she did not just inadvertently shut Hilly down... it was absolutely purposeful. The film has Mother as actively rude to Hilly in that moment and even citing the book when she's not supposed to have known anything.  

Celia

Notes from real time reading: What is that stain in Celia's room under the rug? Hypotheses: There was an abortion. There was a miscarriage. Is Mr. Foote is domestically violent even though he seems so sweet and perfect upon first meeting?  

Yes!!!!! I at least got it right in one of my hypotheses, but I could have never guessed the magnitude in which we would experience such an event. This scene is incredibly sad and hard to read and all together difficult in general. Celia could have died and the story would be completely altered. Minny would have died, too likely, either from Leroy or Hilly (more directly than just causing Leroy to kill her). I do understand why they cut the majority of this scene... but still- this was one of the most impressionable parts of the book and the movie just barely touched on it. Again, disappointing. 

That scene with the naked man and tough-girl-Celia was highly anticipated in the movie. I loved that Celia went out there and kicked his booty. That was awesome. Not just for the purpose of being a decent human and protecting/helping her hired help, but also because she is seen as a weirdo and tiny lady with many non-strong characteristics typically highlighted. Go Celia! It was cut. 

I wanted Celia and Skeeter to be friends! I feel like there was a missed opportunity there. Both women were progressive in their civil rights views, both women were ostracized from the crowd of Hilly-bots. this was an unfortunate omission for sure. I would've been satisfied with even just one meeting - not best friendship, but an acknowledgement of each other and what changes seem so natural as good human beings.

Elizabeth

I cannot believe Elizabeth didn't figure it out and just read through her chapter. I think she did begin to piece it together at the end though, with her staring at that L shaped crack in her table. She was not very frown-y in the movie like her character was consistently in the text. Maybe I was dissatisfied because I found the actress gorgeous.

Hilly

Total b. Total b.

Every single story line had a nice conclusion; Skeeter has all ties cut, Mother is alive, dad is well,  no friends, no boyfriends, completely free. Minny has a fantastic set up at work- just wish she had live-in quarters available to her... but then where would her young children go... I don't have this one perfectly worked out... I just wanted her to be able to live with Celia in ~relative~ peace away from Hilly. Aibileen is probably the hardest of conclusions to swallow; yes, she is now also free, not working for Elizabeth anymore, but she loves Mae Mobley... so so so much... so that was hard to stomach- but her freedom and prospect of writing for the newspaper is beautiful. I LOVE that the newspaper hired her (basically). That was probably tied with the Foote discussion of Minny always having a job with being the sweetest conclusion. 

The book to movie adaptation was disappointing. Imagine a pomegranate. Hold in one hand all the intricate details that make a pomegranate unique and beautiful. Then, have someone hand you a glass of pomegranate juice. The two units are similar, yes. They have some of the same composition, yes. They are both identifiable with the name 'pomegranate,' but they are not both pomegranates. In your glass of juice, you lack the hard shell holding everything together. You lack the woven membranes that slide so delicately between pods of  seeds. You lack the complexity that each individual seed offers in shape, size, and connection to other seeds. So yes, this movie was similar to the book and contained plot points that were close to mimicry, but the greatness of this story and the art itself are diluted and distorted by the motion picture. 

I've seen some book to movie transformations go better than just 'good.' I am not one to discredit an idea to bring a book to the screen, nor am I one to dismiss the movie before viewing. One benefit, that is usually overlooked to the conversation about books becoming movies, is that typically this transformation causes a rise in popularity. If the book becomes more popular, more people are reading it (or maybe just researching it enough to sustain conversation?) and able to share perspectives I may have not imagined about such art. Then the film emerges and people think they know your character (without having an understanding of her most intricate thoughts/feelings/desires), and sure, they know a version of your character, but they will always lack a true understanding from just watching the film.

If you understand the beauty that a pomegranate has to offer, read the book.

Happy Reading, Bookworms!