The Help by Kathryn Stockett
This is a story about three women, different in every way, age, race, and social standings, but they are working together with one goal in mind, equality. A book about writing a controversial book in the middle of a racial war, the unity of this bond is the story of The Help.
When I first started reading The Help, I posted on facebook that I was reading this book. I wanted to know which of my friends had read it or wanted to. I was astounded by how many comments that post received and how many people had read or wanted to read the book, or wanted to see the movie when it came out. I also received a wall post from my cousin Mary Catherine prompting me to ask my dad about the maid she and her 5 siblings had while growing up. From that wall post, I asked my dad about Tine and he told me the story of the broken crystal lamp. My dad was born late in life to my grandmother. His oldest sibling, Clint was 25 when my dad was born and was already married with one child. I grew up playing with my second cousins who were my age and I did not understand that their parents were my first cousins and not aunts and uncles. I didn’t understand as a child why my cousins called my Uncle Clint grandpa, he was uncle to me and my brothers. I loved going to Aunt Martha and Uncle Clint’s house, there was always something to do. Either we would play with my second cousins or play down in the basement, but we always knew to stay out of Uncle Clint’s way. He was always kind, but he expected children to be respectful and to always say “sir or ma’am” and be obedient. Dad would always lecture us on the way down to Warren, AR where my aunt and uncle lived about minding our manners and behaving ourselves, and don’t be loud or break anything. So, the story is that my dad, being so young, would go play with his nieces and nephews during family events. When I asked him about the story my cousin Mary Catherine told me to ask him about, I found out that my dad, a non-trouble-maker from birth accidently broke a lamp shade. He was following the other kids down the stairs and swinging over the stair banister, when he swung his leg over, down came the crystal lamp. Tine saved the day and replaced the broken lamp shade without my Uncle Clint finding out. I can only imagine what punishment Tine saved my dad from. Dad also told me that either Uncle Clint or Aunt Martha would go to the “black part of town” pick Tine up and bring her to the house at about 6am, then she would work all day, and then they would take her back home around 6 or 7pm that night. He also told me some other fun stories about how Tine would take care of the kids and protect them from getting in trouble from their dad. While reading The Help, I can almost picture what my aunt and uncle’s house looked like.
I personally enjoyed how many important events took place during the course of the book. From the beginning of the zip code for mailing items with the post office, to the assassination of the President Kennedy, many events that have shaped America took place over these very few years. The author paid much attention to detail and I appreciated Stockett’s inclusion of those events. On the Civil Rights movement, it’s interesting how just 40 to 50 years has made such an amazing difference in the equality of people in America, if you would have asked my Uncle Clink in 1964 if we would have a black man in the white house, what do you think he would have said? I’m not saying it’s equal or anywhere close to perfect, it’s just changed a lot because of the people who stood up for their rights.
As a southern woman, it was very natural for me to pick up on Minny or Aibelene’s accent. I saw an almost immediate decline in my accent and grammar while reading The Help. I found myself saying “ain’t” which is not a word that I ever use. I also found myself using words completely incorrect. Is and was, were not used when they were supposed to be and I know that I sounded crazy and uneducated. Of course I already have an inclination to speak incorrectly because I’m southern and I am around some really crazy accents on a daily basis working with the public of East Texas and Arkansas.
So, what did you think? Did you read the book? See the movie? What did you think? Do you have any stories about your family in the 60’s?
