The Help Study Guide (Chapters 1-20)

"Thirty-five maids done said no and I feel like I'm selling something nobody want to buy. Something big and stinky, like Kiki Brown and her lemon smell-good polish. But what really makes me and Kiki the same is, I'm proud a what I'm selling. I can't help it. We telling stories that need to be told."

(narrator- Aibileen) Aibileen, who was suspicious of Skeeter's project at first, is now convinced of its importance. Despite the fact that thirty-five women have refused to participate, she's still hopeful that she can drum up some interest in this important project. She compares herself to another woman at the church who tries (mostly unsuccessfully) to sell her homemade cleaning products. This is the moment when we see that Aibileen truly believes in the importance of writing the book about the maids.

"Mae Mobley," I say cause I got a notion to try something. "You a smart girl?" She just look at me, like she don't know. "You a smart girl," I say again. She say, "Mae Mo smart." I say, "You a kind little girl?" She just look at me. She two years old. She don't know what she is yet. I say, "You a kind girl," and she nod, repeat it back to me. But before I can do another one, sheb get up and chase that poor dog around the yard and laugh and that's when I get to wondering, what would happen if I told her she something good, every day?

(narrator- Aibileen) Dismayed by how Miss Leefolt only speaks to Mae Mobley in order to scold her, Aibileen decides to tell Mae Mobley that she is smart and kind every day. Aibileen has raised seventeen white children, and she knows that children are shaped by the world around them and the values that they imbibe. This quote is an example of the close and loving relationship between black caregivers and white children.

"'I'd like to write this showing the point of view of the help. The colored women down here.' I tried to picture Constantine's face, Aibileen's. 'They raise a white child and then twenty years later the child becomes the employer. It's that irony, that we love them and they love us, yet...' I swallowed, my voice trembling. 'We don't even allow them to use the toilet in the house.'"

(narrator- Miss Skeeter) Elaine Stein has phoned Skeeter asking about her ideas, and Skeeter is explaining her interest in writing a book about what it is like to be a black maid in Mississippi. Skeeter is haunted by Constantine's mysterious disappearance, and she is also growing close with Aibileen, who gives her tips for the Miss Myrna cleaning column. This quote reveals Skeeter's more altruistic reasons for writing her book on maids: she wants to use her social privilege to give voice to the black women she has been close to in her life.

"Write about what disturbs you, particularly if it bothers no one else."

(narrator- Miss Skeeter) Elaine Stein offers this piece of advice in the letter she writes to Skeeter. Skeeter takes this advice to heart, and starts thinking about her bond with Constantine and the ugly harassment of black maids she says every day, ultimately deciding to write her book about the maids. It is also the guiding maxim of The Help itself, which covers many situations (racism, sexism, miscarriages, domestic violence) that are disturbing.

"Even though I felt miserable, and knew that I was most likely ugly, it was the first time she had ever talked to me like I was something besides my mother's white child. All my life I'd been told what to believe about politics, coloreds, being a girl. But with Constantine's thumb pressed in my hand, I realized I actually had a choice what I could believe."

(narrator- Miss Skeeter) Skeeter is reduced to tears after a boy calls her ugly when she was thirteen years old. Constantine tells her that true ugliness is being a mean and hurtful person, and that every day Skeeter must ask herself if she will choose to believe the nonsense that other people say about her. This is the critical moment in the relationship between Skeeter and Constantine, and it plants a rebellious streak in Skeeter's heart. She will not be blindly bigoted against colored people, she will not accept that a white woman's only role in life is to get married and have children. Instead, she will work to forge her own path and live by her own values.

"It is 1963. The Space Age they're calling it. A man has circled the earth in a rocketship. They've invented a pill so married women don't have to get pregnant. A can of beer opens with a single finger instead of a can opener. Yet my parents' house is still as hot as it was in 1899, the year my Great-grandfather built it."

(narrator- Miss Skeeter) These musings begin one of Skeeter's chapters, highlighting two aspects of life in the south: the adherence to tradition and the sweltering heat. The quote points to one of the central contradictions of the 1960s: the United States was making enormous technological strides, but race relations had remained largely unchanged for nearly a century. Even though rocket ships circled the earth, there were still separate bathrooms for whites and people of color. The point also hints at another aspect of the conflict between Skeeter (who desperately wants air-conditioning in the house) and her mother (who finds such equipment to be tacky).

"'I use my colored bathroom from now on. And then I go on and Clorox the white bathroom again real good.'"

(narrator-Aibileen) Aibileen says this to Miss Leefolt after she installs a second bathroom for the "colored help," as Hilly had suggested. Miss Leefolt tells Aibileen about the new bathroom, and asks her to go try it out. Aibileen responds with this comment, which exemplifies the paradoxical and contradictory nature of race relations at that time: it is perfectly acceptable for a black woman to clean up after a white family or to care for their children, but it is unacceptable for her to use the same facilities as them.

who is Yule May Crookie?

A regal and intelligent woman, Yule May is one of the most educated maids in Jackson, having completed a few years of college before leaving to get married. She is the mother of two twin boys. She was Hilly's maid until she was charged with stealing one of Hilly's rings and sent to jail. The black churches of Jackson put forward the money to send her sons to college.

who is the first narrator of the book?

Aibileen

who is Aibileen Clark?

Aibileen is a gracious, gentle woman who earns her living from taking care of the children of white families, most recently the Leefolt family. She dotes on Mae Mobley, their two-year-old daughter. She still mourns the loss of her son, Treelore, who died in an industrial accident. It is this loss that motivates her to take part on Skeeter's project to document the lives of maids in Mississippi. Aibileen takes primary responsibility for recruiting other maids to work on the project in order to protect her friend Minny.

theme #4

Being a Woman The varying difficulties faced by women constitute another major theme in the book. In the workplace, Minny struggles with the possibility of being fired due to her outspoken personality; at home, she is violently abused by her husband. Aibileen must cope with the sorrow of her son's untimely death at the same time that she tries to support the neglected Mae Mobley. Skeeter is struggling with a world that does not value her professional ambitions and tries to force her into the narrow roles of wife and mother. Celia Foote deals with a series of miscarriages and her social isolation, which is worsened by her desire to be a capable wife to her beloved husband. Each of these women struggle to overcome these difficulties, but they also forge close bonds with other women over shared problems.

who is Skeeter's brother?

Carlton

who is Celia Foote?

Celia is a blond, beautiful, socially outcast woman married to Johnny Foote. 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. Minny works for her. 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. Celia finds herself rejected from southern society because of her marriage to Johnny (Hilly's ex-boyfriend).

who is Charlotte Phelan?

Charlotte is Skeeter's mother and another ambiguous character. Like Skeeter, Charlotte actually goes through some big changes over the course of the novel. As she battles stomach cancer with sheer will, her biggest goal is getting Skeeter in "a man-meeting" situation

who is the maid who raised Skeeter?

Constantine

who is Constantine Bates?

Constantine worked as a maid for Skeeter's family, but was mysteriously dismissed by Skeeter's mother. A tall, light-skinned black woman, she doted on Skeeter and was close to her whole family.

theme #5

Doing the Right Thing Even when everything in the world is trying to tell you what to do and what to believe, you need to make your own path. The central protagonists recognize that the current state of race relations is wrong, and work to correct it. Aibileen strives to teach racial equality and acceptance to Mae Mobley. Minny persists in working on the book about the maids despite the danger it puts her in with her own husband and Hilly. Skeeter continues working towards racial justice despite the rift it causes between her and her two best friends.

Skeeter received a letter from _____ ______ from Harper and Row in New York City

Elaine Stein

who is Elaine Stein?

Elaine is an editor for Harper & Row Publishing and the person who gives Skeeter the inspiration to write her book about the maids. Elaine is a no-nonsense woman who has been in the publishing business for many years. She is not soft-spoken or gentle, but in her own rough way she encourages Skeeter to push forward with her work.

who does Aibileen work for?

Elizabeth Leefolt

who is Mae Mobley?

Elizabeth Leefolt's young daughter, Mae Mobley is two years old at the beginning of the book. She is curious and sweet, but she is deeply hurt by the fact that her mother never shows her any attention or kindness. She has a very close relationship with Aibileen.

what is Skeeter's real name?

Eugenia Phelan

who did Johnny Foote tell Minny he had asked to come play bridge with Celia?

Hilly Holbrook

Why does Minny need a new job?

Hilly had accused her of stealing

who is Yule May?

Hilly's former maid

who was the first black student to go to the University of Mississippi?

James Meredith

who is Johnny Foote?

Johnny is Celia's husband and Hilly's ex-boyfriend, which leads to a great deal of bad blood between the two women. He is a gentle and kind man, and he loves Celia deeply.

theme #3

Love and Friendship The Help takes a close look at many types of love, some of them unlikely and fraught with difficulties. The close bond between black caretakers and white children (Aibileen and Mae Mobley, as well as Skeeter and Constantine) show that nurturing love is not limited to blood relationships. As we see later in the book, this bond is often unfairly complicated by the strictures of a racist society. Because of her new consciousness regarding race, Skeeter causes a rupture in her friendships with Hilly and Elizabeth Leefolt. Through a series of events (the discovery of the Jim Crow materials, the toilet prank, Hilly's comment about Stuart), these lifelong friendships are torn apart. But we also see how new friendships can emerge out of the ashes of old ones: it is Aibileen and Minny with whom Skeeter celebrates her new job in New York City. The novel also focuses on different types of romantic love. Despite his affection for Skeeter, Stuart cannot get over the betrayal of his fiancée, Patricia van Devender, and his attempts to build a new relationship with Skeeter continuously fail. On the other hand, Celia and Johnny have a deeply loving relationship, triumphing over class differences, infertility, and social disapproval.

who is Minny Jackson?

Minny works as a maid, but frequently find herself dismissed from her cleaning jobs due to her sarcastic comments. She has five children whom she loves deeply, but her husband is extremely violent towards her. 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. She and Hilly are enemies because of the "Terrible Awful" thing that Minny did to Hilly.

who is Elizabeth Leefolt?

Miss Leefolt employs Aibileen to watch over her young daughter, Mae Mobley. She is harsh, icy, and frequently ignores her daughter's pleas for her attention. An angular and vain woman, she was still quite close with Hilly and Skeeter while the three were growing up. She follows Hilly's lead in most difficult situations. She has a difficult relationship with her husband, and the two often fight over money.

theme #2

Mothers and Daughters Mothers and daughters have difficult but deeply loving relationships. The Help examines several different types of mother-daughter relationships. Elizabeth Leefolt has a strained relationship with her mother, who is aloof and demanding; she continues this unhealthy dynamic by being neglectful and critical of her own daughter, Mae Mobley. There's also an indication that mother-daughter relationships are not necessarily dependent on blood ties. For example, Aibileen acts as a mother to Mae Mobley, not only taking care of her day-to-day needs but also teaching her to be kind to others and to always have respect for herself. Skeeter has a difficult but loving relationship with her mother, who is constantly pressuring her daughter to dress better and catch a man. Skeeter later discovers that this critical edge is tempered by love; her mother has cancer, and she wants to make sure her daughter has a good life after she is gone. Though Skeeter's mother often bosses her daughter, she also stands up for her at critical moments, such as during her conflicts with Hilly and Stuart.

who tells Aibileen to stay away from Skeeter if she wants to keep her job?

Mr. Leefolt

who does Skeeter's mother hire as a replacement for Skeeter's childhood maid?

Pascagoula (Yule May's cousin)

theme #1

Race and Racism Racism manifests in the lives of the black maids in a number of ways: they are denied opportunities for educational or professional advancement, they perform repetitive work for white families, they must curtail their speech to prevent violence, and they must use separate facilities. Perhaps most damaging of all, black people are constantly exposed to social messages telling them that they are dirty, lazy, and in all respects less than white people. Even the way the book is written hearkens back to this central theme. When writing from the perspective of the black maids Aibileen and Minny, Stockett uses an antiquated form of speech. While this is meant to lend authenticity to their voices, it also makes them sound uneducated and makes it somewhat difficult to relate to them. The Help also suggests that it is possible to cross this racial divide. In addition to anecdotes about rude or abusive employers, we hear stories of maids who have very close relationships with the white families for whom they work. Through her efforts to be a mouthpiece for the black maids of Jackson, Skeeter develops a close friendship with Aibileen and Minny. It's possible, through effort and understanding, to begin to heal the wounds of racism.

Skeeter has dinner with ___________ and her parents in chapter 20.

Senator Stuart

who is Constantine?

Skeeter's childhood maid

where is Celia from?

Sugar Ditch, Mississippi

who is Skeeter?

The daughter of a wealthy white Southern family, Skeeter is bit of a misfit. Unique among young women in her social circle, she is far more interested in writing than in pursuing marriage and family life. Fixated on her idea of writing a book about the lives of colored maids in Mississippi, she teams up with Aibileen and Minny. 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. Skeeter cannot stand hypocrisy and lies, and will often ask difficult and uncomfortable questions.

what was Aibileen's son's name?

Treelore

where did Skeeter go to school?

University of Mississippi

what is the Home Help Sanitation Initiative?

a bill that would require all Mississippi families to build outdoor bathrooms for all their black employees

what writing job does Skeeter take after graduating college?

a job working for Jackson Journal writing the Miss Myrna column

what does Skeeter receive, in chapter 6, that inspires her to search for a writing job?

advice in a letter

what modern convenience does Skeeter's mother refuse to have added to the house, as Skeeter explains in chapter 19?

air conditioning

what does Treelore hope to do, before his untimely death?

become a writer

according to Aibileen, after Treelore's death a _______ _____ was planted inside of her.

bitter seed

what happened to Robert Brown?

brutally assaulted by two white men for accidentally using the white bathroom in a hardware store

what does Minny forbid Skeeter to do in chapter 17?

call Celia

How does Skeeter Phelan know Hilly Holbrook?

childhood friends

what did Skeeter study at school?

english

what addictive problem does Minny's husband have?

he is a drunk

what does Skeeter think happened to her?

her mother told her that Constantine had moved to Chicago, however she didn't believe her

Hilly eats _____ baked into a pie.

poop

why does Constantine send her daughter away?

she looks white

what does skeeter learn about Yule May in chapter 19?

she stole a ring from Hilly to be able to afford both her son's tuition, sentenced to four years in prison, Pascagoula's cousin, wants to help Skeeter, fired by Hilly, writes a letter from jail apologizing for not being able to help with the book and confesses to stealing the ring

Minny worries that Celia Foote will...

tell Mr. Foote (she is worried that he is going to find out that she hired a black maid to help her with the cooking and the cleaning)

what does Mrs. Phelan tell the Whitworths that Skeeter has been writing about, in chapter 20?

that she is writing about the life of jesus christ

why does Elaine write to Skeeter?

to provide her with advice because she was once in the same position as Skeeter

what advice does Ms. Stein give to Skeeter about writing?

write about what disturbs her and not to waste her time writing about something obvious