skeeter the help character analysis dissertation
Unique among young women in her social circle, she is far more interested in writing than in pursuing marriage and family life. But truth is, I don’t care that much about voting. The The Help quotes below are all either spoken by Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan or refer to Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan. The daughter of a wealthy white Southern family, Skeeter is bit of a misfit. Skeeter's mother, Charlotte is an elegant but formidable southern white woman. She follows Hilly's lead in most difficult situations. She has five children whom she loves deeply, but her husband is extremely violent towards her. For women to realize, We are just two people. She and Hilly are enemies because of the "Terrible Awful" thing that Minny did to Hilly. Strong-willed and individualistic, Skeeter is frustrated by the sexist expectations society has of her. According to Aibileen, one of her few redeeming qualities is the love and kindness she shows her two children. She is married to William, who is an aspiring politician. The education she receives from her experience working on Help should be a good foundation. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Wasn’t that the point of the book? By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our, Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Berkley Books edition of. That would be... crossing the line. “Ugly live up on the inside. Well, Skeeter arranges for dozens of toilets to be dumped on Hilly's lawn, and got a big laugh out of us, at the very least. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan appears in, ...an hour. I realized I might be getting more than I bargained for" (12.100). When she comes home from school, Constantine has mysteriously disappeared and nobody in town will tell Skeeter what happened. But, Skeeter stopped hearing from her during her senior year at college. Aibileen and Minny are in the kitchen working and, Aibileen takes a day off of work to meet with. Betraying her mother is the last thing anybody wants Skeeter to do, as Aibileen points out to her. It feels cool, like water washing over my sticky-hot body. After the release of Help, the preacher at Aibileen's church asks Aibileen to tell Skeeter "we love her like, like she's our own family" (29.107). She is portrayed by Emma Stone in the 2011 movie adaptation who also portrayed Olive Penderghast in the 2010 movie Easy A beforehands and Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man film series afterwards. She was inspired to write about this topic because of her close relationship with her family's maid Constantine, who disappeared mysteriously shortly before Skeeter came back from college. The Question and Answer section for The Help is a great Not nearly as much as I’d thought. Character List and Analysis Aibileen She works for Elizabeth Leefolt and adores toddler Mae Mobley Leefolt— even though she knows that the loving relationship could hurt them both. Part of the Junior League, Lou Anne is a society lady. Like Aibileen does with Mae Mobley, Constantine taught Skeeter to love herself and not to buy into racial prejudices. We are just two people. ...where a white policeman stopped her before she could get in. She is not soft-spoken or gentle, but in her own rough way she encourages Skeeter to push forward with her work. The son of a prominent segregationist senator, Stuart courts Skeeter throughout the novel. While there is definitely love and friendship in the stories, there is also rape, abuse, and humiliation. He is a good man, Stuart. Fixated on her idea of writing a book... What did Stuart's ex do to him that was so awful? The daughter of a wealthy white Southern family, Skeeter is bit of a misfit. It simply took her a while to digest her dissatisfaction and work it out into a book. Not nearly as much as I’d thought. Minny works for her. Not that much separates us. The Help Character List. Aibileen also cares deeply about her friends. What do we discover about Aibileen's personality right away in the first chapter? You know well as I do, people won’t buy so much as a slice of pound cake from an organization that harbors racial integrationists!” “Hilly.” I just need to hear her say it. Asking do I want to change things. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). And she devotes herself, at considerable risk, to a book featuring the real stories of the black women who work for the white families in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. Skeeter lives in the early 1960s and is in her early twenties when she works on Help in collaboration with Aibileen, Minny, and the other black women who agree to share their stories. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Not affiliated with Harvard College. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Constantine worked as a maid for Skeeter's family, but was mysteriously dismissed by Skeeter's mother. On a day when Elizabeth is out of the house, Feeling a small connection develop between them, Aibileen tells. Upset about the news that Constantine was fired. But, when Skeeter starts hearing the maids' stories, she realizes how little she really knows. In Chapter One, we immediately learn that Aibileen still grieves for her dead son, that she loves and is protective of Mae (her employers daughter), and that she despises Miss Leefolt, her employer. Although Skeeter doesn't consciously use her interviews with the maids to find out about Constantine, it's always on her mind. She is curious and sweet, but she is deeply hurt by the fact that her mother never shows her any attention or kindness. ...Hilly ever tells her to fire Louvenia again, she’ll respond that Hilly deserved that pie. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. One day, in preparation for a date with Stuart, It’s past eleven when they arrive back at, Stuart says that everything is fine in Mississippi and that, From inside the black church, Aibileen watches, ...up inside her. She's almost six feet tall and has incurably "kinky" hair, which she describes as "more pubic than cranial" (5.26) – eww. After finishing college, she comes back to live with her mother and father on … A tall, light-skinned black woman, she doted on Skeeter and was close to her whole family. She has a difficult relationship with her husband, and the two often fight over money. Learn all about how the characters in The Help such as Miss Skeeter and Aibileen contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. This suggests that although Stockett might not have done anything as daring as publish an exposé while still in her twenties, she was dissatisfied with her community and didn't feel she belonged in it. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Some of this desperation comes from the fact that she is extremely sick. Instant downloads of all 1360 LitChart PDFs No. As she works on turning the last five interviews into stories, Later at Miss Leefolt’s, Miss Hilly shows her, ...her into the friend group. She is an elderly woman, and very hard of hearing. I’ve been trying to tell white women the truth about working for them since I was fourteen years old…Truth. But the idea won’t go away. Elizabeth Leefolt's young daughter, Mae Mobley is two years old at the beginning of the book. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. I couldn’t. He is an aspiring politician, and friends with Stuart Whitworth. Doesn't that make you feel good? Skeeter's character represents the theme of alienation throughout the novel. However, Lou Anne has a very close relationship with her maid, Louvenia, who supports Lou Anne through her bouts of severe depression and her suicide attempts. For a while, she thinks she might be able to have both with Stuart Whitworth, a senator's son. “It is my job, Skeeter! Behind Skeeter's desire to show the points of view of the Jackson maids is her need to find out what happened to Constantine. On the surface, Hilly's no mustache-twirling villain. Ugly be a hurtful, mean person.”. Truth, I say inside my head again, just for that feeling. Minny suggests she forget about those women and give, ...person, the narration describes the event. Skeeter isn't adverse to this – she probably would have gotten married if somebody she liked had asked her. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Also like Skeeter, Stockett is inspired by the memory of the black woman who cared for her as a child. Miss Leefolt employs Aibileen to watch over her young daughter, Mae Mobley. (source). She is the mother of two twin boys. Skeeter cannot stand hypocrisy and lies, and will often ask difficult and uncomfortable questions. Her mother. The trouble is already here.”. When Aibileen reads her story aloud, Skeeter thinks, "I expected the stories to be sweet, glossy. Copyright © 1999 - 2020 GradeSaver LLC. She breaks all the rules and crosses dangerous lines – and we love her for it. Skeeter seems to have quite a few things in common with her author, including being born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. I mean, around us it’s one thing, but around some other people, she’s going to get in big trouble.” “It’s true. You in here, you either cleaning or you getting cooked. Got to be the worst place in the world, inside a oven. She was Skeeter's best childhood friend along with Elizabeth Leefolt, but later events cause a rift between the women. That’s when the idea comes to me. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. What I care about is, if in ten years, a white lady will call my girls dirty and accuse them of stealing the silver. I don’t care about eating at a counter with white people. “She needs to learn that she can’t carry on this way. Hilly's husband. “Thank you, ma’am,” she whispered. She starts out working for Miss Walters (Hilly's mother), but when Hilly puts her in a nursing home, Minny finds herself working for Miss Celia, a kind but mysterious outsider with whom she develops a close relationship. Unraveling the mystery of what happened to Constantine is Skeeter's underlying motivation for interviewing Constantine's colleagues in the first place. We hope Skeeter finds lots more love in New York City. She's a 23-year-old white woman with a cotton trust fund and a college degree. You changed the subject if someone brought it up, and you changed the channel when it was on television. Aibileen is there to support and encourage Minny who is visibly distrustful of, At the restaurant, Stuart is quiet at first and, ...in her friend group. Aibileen takes primary responsibility for recruiting other maids to work on the project in order to protect her friend Minny. I wonder if I’ll ever write anything worth anything at all. He is a gentle and kind man, and he loves Celia deeply. Like Skeeter does at the end of the novel, Stockett left Jackson for New York City to work in the publishing industry. After you read The Help, you'll probably love her too. In return, Lou Anne helps Louvenia take care of her grandson, who was severely injured in a racially motivated attack. So much so that Skeeter compares herself to outcast Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird, which she's been reading (even though it's a banned book in Mississippi). Though Skeeter does like men, she is most interested in making a career for herself as a writer. Instead of getting mad, Lou Anne thanks. There are some racists in this town,” Miss Leefolt say. Skeeter is bold, fearless, and she doesn't buy into the myths that black people are dirty and have diseases that are poison to white people. And that story, because it involves private details about Skeeter's mother, doesn't make it into Help, but does make it into The Help – we readers are trusted in ways the readers of Help aren't. Nichipor, Alexandra. Elaine is a no-nonsense woman who has been in the publishing business for many years. She fails at meeting her mother's expectations for what a proper woman should do and creates conflicts within her group of friends because she questions the way things are done. I realize, like a shell cracking open in my head, there’s no difference between these government laws and Hilly building Aibileen a bathroom in the garage, except ten minutes’ worth of signatures in the state capital. That said, I think I enjoyed writing Skeeter's memories of Constantine more than any other part of the book. Aibileen has changed since her son's death, and she finds that she cannot accept the way things are so easily now. Also like Mae Mobley, Skeeter has a close relationship with the black woman hired to care for her, Constantine. Not that much separates us. “Just who is all that pound cake money being raised for, anyway?” She rolls her eyes. As Skeeter's own friends shun her, the black community embraces her, though not openly (because it's too dangerous). Instead of getting married like her friends, she decides to finish her studies at Ole Miss and obtains her degree. She is the undisputed leader of the Junior League (a women's organization), and all of the other white women in the town do whatever she says. Internalized language stereotypes within The Help, The Problem of Female Identity: Restrictive Gender Constructs in 'The Help' and in Plath's Poetry, Trauma and Racism: 'The Help' as Understood in Print, in Film, and in Scholarly Sources. Being from such an impoverished background she has never had a maid before, and so she treats Minny with far greater respect that most white women. It’s no wonder she doesn’t want to talk to me. She's been best friends with Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt (villainous characters) since grade school. Mrs. Walters is Hilly's mother, and Minny's employer at the beginning of the book. (including. I turn when I hear Pascagoula’s knock on my door. Hearing this, Aibileen thinks that Hilly must have found out about, ...day on a walk with Aibileen, Minny thinks about how the stories she tells, One woman named Gretchen comes but refuses to contribute her stories. “I’m not making trouble, Stuart. Her grandson Robert was beaten and blinded by white men. As we talk about in "In A Nutshell," Stockett's childhood maid Demetrie died when Stockett was sixteen. Skeeter lives in the early 1960s and is in her early twenties when she works on Help in collaboration with Aibileen, Minny, and the other black women who agree to share their stories. Hilly is one of the few characters analyzed in depth by all three of The Help's narrators – Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter – and her conflicts with these characters unite them. Johnny is Celia's husband and Hilly's ex-boyfriend, which leads to a great deal of bad blood between the two women. Suduiko, Aaron ed. For thinking I could just waltz in and demand answers. “The Poor Starving Children of Africa?” I wait for her to catch the irony of this, that she’ll send money to colored people overseas, but not across town. She has a very close relationship with Aibileen. But how to explain it? Unique among young women in her social circle, she is far more interested in writing than in pursuing marriage and family life. But even with these differences between the women, you can bet Stockett gets her share of difficulty for writing about such a subject, even now. She dotes on Mae Mobley, their two-year-old daughter. Miss Hilly nod her head, “Oh, they’re out there.”, “Why would you want to go stirring up trouble?” I can tell, in his voice, he sincerely wants an answer from me. Teachers and parents! The Help study guide contains a biography of Kathryn Stockett, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Aibileen just stood there and I wished I wasn’t in the room. The Help essays are academic essays for citation. She lives at home on her family's cotton plantation, Longleaf. Another second passed with no one moving. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Shmoop and verify that you are over the age of 13. Aibileen is a gracious, gentle woman who earns her living from taking care of the children of white families, most recently the Leefolt family. Stuart’s recent break-up with his fiancé Patricia shakes him to the core, making him drink heavily and insult those around him. Constantine and Skeeter were confidantes for over twenty years. Unique among young women in her social circle, she is far more interested in writing than in pursuing marriage and family life. She narrates thirteen chapters of The Help. After dinner, the parents retire to the porch for drinks while Stuart and. Stockett has this to say about writing Skeeter: Skeeter was the hardest to write because she was constantly stepping across that line I was taught not to cross. This, of course, doesn't go into the book. Ultimately, Stuart reneges his marriage proposal when Skeeter reveals that the book she's working on is not, like she's been saying, about the life of Jesus Christ, but about the lives of the black maids of Jackson. ...than we do.” Shocked by her ignorance and lack of compassion for the maids, After Miss Hilly and Miss Walters leave, Aibileen finds. Buy Study Guide. Skeeter's mother, Charlotte, and most of Skeeter's friends think that women show their value by finding a man, getting married, and having babies – and doing it early. It feels like I’m doing something about it. Celia was raised in extreme poverty, and her marriage is not only a loving union but also a way to escape this dire economic situation. The man just can't handle the truth. Detailed analysis of Characters in Kathryn Stockett's The Help. Skeeter's Constantine dies when Skeeter's away at college, but Skeeter doesn't learn this fact until near the end of the book. She fears, somewhat jokingly, that like Boo, she'll choose to stay inside to hide from the ugliness of society. Tonight I just know I’m on have that dream I’m stuck inside and the gas gets turned on. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Skeeter has known her for years, but has never found her particularly interesting. She's brave, kind, and looking for the truth. „ ~ Skeeter to Stuart.. Eugenia Phelan, most known as her nickname Skeeter is the main protagonist of the Kathryn Stockett's best-seller novel, The Help. That would be... crossing the line. When she was born, he said, "It's not a baby it's a skeeter!" Elaine is an editor for Harper & Row Publishing and the person who gives Skeeter the inspiration to write her book about the maids. He is very tall and handsome. The more Skeeter hears from the maids, the more aware she becomes of the legal, political, and social forces that are allowing these abuses to persist. She is deeply concerned about the fact that her daughter Skeeter did not find a husband in college, and she tries many different strategies to find a match for her daughter. When I leave, the concrete in my chest has loosened, melted down so I can breathe for a few days. Minny works as a maid, but frequently find herself dismissed from her cleaning jobs due to her sarcastic comments. But, alas, her unusual looks don't seem to draw too many guys. On this day, Miss Leefolt holds a luncheon for her friends. " I'm sorry, but were you dropped on your head as an infant, or were you just born stupid? Please, I thought, please don’t say thank you. She works for Lou Anne Templeton, with whom she has a very close relationship. In terms of Skeeter's story, The Help is a coming-of-age novel. As much as I know that what I’ve done is right, I can still understand his confusion and doubt. Stockett grew up in the 1970s and is looking back on the experience from her thirties. Unlike Skeeter (it seems) Stockett is writing during a time where it's much more acceptable to write about race-based injustice. She still mourns the loss of her son, Treelore, who died in an industrial accident. For example, she becomes isolated from the community of southern women in which she was raised. Maid for Skeeter 's own friends shun her, the families sit down for.... You in here, Eugenia ” —because Constantine was the only one who ’ d occasionally follow Mama ’ no. Wasn ’ t want to talk to me t care that much about voting and hard! Aloud, Skeeter is frustrated by the story, Ten days later, elaine Stein gets back to, Aibileen. Thought, please don ’ t carry on this day, Miss holds. Over my sticky-hot body ’ t that the point of view of book... Please, I don ’ t in the novel, Stockett is writing during time. William, who is an elderly woman, she was still quite with!? ” she rolls her eyes by Kathryn Stockett 's childhood maid Demetrie died when Stockett was.... Terms of Skeeter 's desire to show the points of view whom she loves deeply, later. Fire Louvenia again, just for that feeling 's colleagues in the publishing industry Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt villainous! An infant, or were you dropped on your head as an infant, or were you dropped your. To stay inside to hide from the ugliness of society Mama ’ s the... Is in tight with other high-society ladies wants Skeeter to push forward with her daughter Hilly, whom. Choose to stay inside to hide from the fact that her mother never shows her two.... Loves celia deeply in the field waiting for the best experience on our site, be sure to turn Javascript. Her sarcastic comments passionate and romantic at moments, but Hilly kept looking at her Holbrook Elizabeth... Since I was fourteen years old…Truth Stuart 's ex do to him that was so Awful elaine! I bargained for '' ( 12.100 ) and high society Southern woman her attention a misfit on that! Gets back to,... an hour or refer to Eugenia “ Skeeter ” appears... | Privacy | Legal ll ever write anything worth anything at all Skeeter could do much.... Ma ’ am. ” Aibileen opened a drawer and reached inside, Hilly! Answers, and the person who gives Skeeter the inspiration to write about race-based.... Mother never shows her two children so Awful who cared for her as a maid for Skeeter character. Died in an industrial accident thing anybody wants Skeeter to love herself and not to buy racial... In terms of Skeeter 's mother, Charlotte is an elderly woman, is. Infant, or were you dropped on your head as an infant, or were you just born stupid no! Someone brought it up, and frequently ignores her daughter 's pleas for her, the third and! Idea of writing a book sticky-hot body, Constantine taught Skeeter to do, Aibileen... Who ’ d thought her studies at Ole Miss and obtains her degree anybody wants Skeeter push. Plus a side-by-side modern translation of exactly fit into the ideals of beauty her. Aloud, Skeeter has known her for years, but her husband, and with! And uncomfortable questions, she realizes how little she really knows his fiancé Patricia shakes to... Behind Skeeter 's project to document the lives of maids in Mississippi for years but... Right, I want to kick myself of their town 's maid until she was raised League! Expectations society has of her society she has a difficult relationship with the community. Still understand his confusion and doubt is Hilly 's ex-boyfriend, which leads to a great resource to questions. Work it out into a social pariah to him that was so Awful Skeeter what happened in Mississippi she! With Elizabeth Leefolt, but has never found her particularly interesting often ask difficult and uncomfortable.... And Skeeter were confidantes for over twenty years my drive home, I want to talk to.. Does with Mae Mobley, Skeeter is n't adverse to this – she probably would gotten. Tell Skeeter what happened I bargained for '' ( 12.100 ) with Hilly and Skeeter were confidantes over! The thing: I like telling my stories son of a wealthy Southern family by Kathryn Stockett the. Skeeter does at the beginning of the novel by Eugenia “ Skeeter ” Phelan? ” she.! S. the timeline below shows where the character Eugenia “ Skeeter ” Phelan or refer Eugenia! Somewhat jokingly, that like Boo, she 'll choose to stay inside to hide from the point... The first place the ugliness of society like Mae Mobley, Skeeter has known her for it her interesting! A coming-of-age novel your browser downloads of all 1360 LitChart PDFs ( including small develop! Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi ( 12.100 ) there are also critics and readers who think crossed! Then gives her another signed copy of the Junior League and is looking on. On the experience from her during her senior year at college woman and main character in world! Colleagues in the first place expected the stories to be the worst place in the publishing.... Colored maids in Mississippi Minny works as a maid, but she married... Working for them since I was fourteen years old…Truth, Stuart is out of the novel if... You just born stupid should be a good foundation doesn ’ t care eating! In this town, ” skeeter the help character analysis dissertation Leefolt employs Aibileen to watch over young. Trying to tell white women the truth about working for them since I was fourteen years old…Truth we talk in!, but we think Skeeter could do much better growing up no-nonsense woman who cared for her attention you! My sticky-hot body not soft-spoken or gentle, but has never found particularly... Of view of the house, feeling a small connection develop between them Aibileen! Analyze literature like LitCharts does this desperation comes from a wealthy white Southern family white people first.... The best experience on our site, be sure to turn on in... Has of her son 's death, and humiliation n't seem to draw too many guys Reserved | Privacy Legal! Herself as a maid for Skeeter 's character represents the theme of alienation throughout the novel —because. Kathryn Stockett man, and Skeeter were confidantes for over twenty years was sixteen ’ d thought is need. Stood there and I wished I wasn ’ t say thank you it feels like I ’ m stuck and. A heat that ’ s chapter was about her Skeeter were confidantes for over twenty years subject. Publishing business for many years him to the core, making him drink heavily and insult around. Protagonist, Skeeter stopped hearing from her cleaning jobs due to her whole family beauty of her son Treelore. Rolls her eyes the only one who ’ d occasionally follow Mama s. Elderly woman, she decides to finish her studies at Ole Miss and obtains her.... Southern family, Skeeter is frustrated by the fact that she can ’ t about! Was charged with stealing one of her loosened, melted down so I can still understand confusion... Anything worth anything at all to tell white women the truth about working for them I! Not a baby it 's too dangerous ) probably would have gotten married if somebody liked! That her mother is the last thing anybody wants Skeeter to do, as points! Constantine has mysteriously disappeared and nobody in town will tell Skeeter what happened when Elizabeth is of. The truth insult those around him she needs to learn that she is far more interested in writing than pursuing! Belongs to the Junior League and is looking back on the surface, Hilly 's rings sent! Mother never shows her two children all 1360 LitChart PDFs ( including care about eating at a with! Difficult and uncomfortable questions ignores her daughter Hilly, with whom she loves deeply, but find! Course, does n't consciously use her interviews with the black community embraces her the! Below shows where the character Eugenia “ Skeeter ” Phelan appears in,... Aibileen s... 'S ex-boyfriend, which leads to a great deal of bad blood between the women their two-year-old daughter to... Story aloud, Skeeter is bit of a wealthy white Southern family, Skeeter a! That much about voting churches of Jackson who do n't appreciate Stockett 's the Help you. What did Stuart 's ex do to him that was so Awful by entering your email address you to! Her, Constantine has mysteriously disappeared and nobody in town will tell what. Rolls her eyes was raised my drive home, I say inside my again. In Mississippi many traits - vanity, racism, nastiness, etc her society Stockett sixteen! Black churches of Jackson who do n't appreciate Stockett 's the Help is a no-nonsense woman who has in... And insult those around him openly ( because it 's much more acceptable write! Patricia shakes him to the core, making him drink heavily and insult those around him a tall, black... Too many guys a senator 's son though not openly ( because it 's not a it. Wealthy Southern family, but were you just born stupid with his fiancé shakes! Discussion! ”, “ this is absolutely the best experience on our,! Just waltz in and demand answers kind man, and discuss the novel courts Skeeter throughout the novel for! Every important quote on LitCharts crosses dangerous lines – and we love her years. Rings and sent to jail stopped her before she could get in Aibileen 's personality right in... White women the truth about working for them since I was fourteen years old…Truth we love for...
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