Racism or racial prejudice is the problem that keeps sticking in people’s mindset from the past and till now. Even though nowadays people are less racist, some of them may still have some stereotype of black people in their deep thoughts. Being made into a movie in 2011, The Help by Kathryn Stockett reflects a lot about this problem. This enjoyable yet powerful book has been read and criticised by people from all around the world.
This story sets place in Jackson, Mississippi, in the early 1960s, which is a big turning point of Civil Rights Movements in the United States. The city is located in the zone called deep-south, and at that time, it is an area of an extreme racial discrimination. Even when there is the Civil Rights Movement, this …show more content…
During that time, African Americans are considered as the lowest class. Most of the white characters in the novel stereotype black people that they are dirty, stupid, lazy, and have diseases. “Hilly raises her voice about three octaves when talking to black people. Elizabeth smiles like she's talking to a child, although certainly not her own. I'm starting to notice things.” We can see from the quote here of how white people think that black people are more stupid than them. They usually treat them like animals and create a clear line separating them, such as creating a “coloured toilet” for their black maids. They usually blame the black for stealing things and betraying. Racial prejudice can be seen from the events that happen throughout the story, conversations between characters and even the law in the city. This racist mindset has been passed through from parents to their kids and from person to people in the whole society. “I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain't a colour, disease ain't the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming – and it come in every white child's life – when they start to think that colored folks are not as good as whites.” Aibileen said this when she hears Miss Leefolt gets mad of her girl for getting into the the “coloured toilet”. This is one of the big example that shows how kids are instilled racial prejudice into their …show more content…
However, what makes this novel’s style of writing special is that there are three narrators. They are Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. The reader can see their personal thoughts and feelings of sadness, disappointment, or hope through their voices. Since there are more than one narrator, each part of the novel is told through different points of view. For example, Skeeter’s point of view comes from her life experiences being raised by black maid. She is so close to her. From this, her view point is not biased towards black people just like other white characters in the story. For Aibileeen, she has a middle-aged woman’s perspective, which is quite mature and experienced. This is because she has been through a lot in her life. The writing style and the use of language of each voice are also variety and unique. Because Aibileen and Minny are African Americans, their language will be in vernacular and dialect
This story sets place in Jackson, Mississippi, in the early 1960s, which is a big turning point of Civil Rights Movements in the United States. The city is located in the zone called deep-south, and at that time, it is an area of an extreme racial discrimination. Even when there is the Civil Rights Movement, this …show more content…
During that time, African Americans are considered as the lowest class. Most of the white characters in the novel stereotype black people that they are dirty, stupid, lazy, and have diseases. “Hilly raises her voice about three octaves when talking to black people. Elizabeth smiles like she's talking to a child, although certainly not her own. I'm starting to notice things.” We can see from the quote here of how white people think that black people are more stupid than them. They usually treat them like animals and create a clear line separating them, such as creating a “coloured toilet” for their black maids. They usually blame the black for stealing things and betraying. Racial prejudice can be seen from the events that happen throughout the story, conversations between characters and even the law in the city. This racist mindset has been passed through from parents to their kids and from person to people in the whole society. “I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain't a colour, disease ain't the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming – and it come in every white child's life – when they start to think that colored folks are not as good as whites.” Aibileen said this when she hears Miss Leefolt gets mad of her girl for getting into the the “coloured toilet”. This is one of the big example that shows how kids are instilled racial prejudice into their …show more content…
However, what makes this novel’s style of writing special is that there are three narrators. They are Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. The reader can see their personal thoughts and feelings of sadness, disappointment, or hope through their voices. Since there are more than one narrator, each part of the novel is told through different points of view. For example, Skeeter’s point of view comes from her life experiences being raised by black maid. She is so close to her. From this, her view point is not biased towards black people just like other white characters in the story. For Aibileeen, she has a middle-aged woman’s perspective, which is quite mature and experienced. This is because she has been through a lot in her life. The writing style and the use of language of each voice are also variety and unique. Because Aibileen and Minny are African Americans, their language will be in vernacular and dialect