The Help: Summary and analysis

This is the story of a young journalist – Skeeter, who lives in Jackson, Mississippi. The story takes place in the early 1960´s, at a time and place where prejudice and racism is a part of the everyday life. Skeeter is the only single girl back in town; the women of her age all live with their husbands and children. Skeeter lives at home with her parents. Though Skeeter doesn’t have much in common with the other women she is still invited to the occasionally arrangements in their bridge club. The other women are trying to find her a husband, but she has no interest in settling down yet. The “queen” of the bridge club is Hilly Holbrook, if she wants something she usually gets it. All the women have their own housemaid who takes care of the house and the children. One of the other women in the bridge club is Elizabeth Leefolt; she has a little daughter called Mae Mobley, who is practically raised by her maid Aibileen. Aibileen´s best friend is Minny; she is Mrs. Holbrook’s maid.

Skeeter wants a serious job as a writer, but she needs experience therefore she is given a column in the paper where she has to write about housework, like cleaning and cooking. Skeeter doesn’t know much about such things, so she asks Aibileen for help. While getting good advises from Aibileen, Skeeter discovers how bad maids are treated. She comes up with an idea about writing the story of the Help. She asks Aibileen if she would like to be interviewed for a book, but she is too scared of the consequences it may cause. Then Hilly proposes that all the women should get a toilet for their maids outside the house. The black maids need to have their own toilet; otherwise, in her opinion they will infect them all with deadly diseases. After some consideration Aibileen agrees to help Skeeter write the book, the only problem is that Skeeter needs more than one maid´s stories to get the book published. They ask Minny and the rest of the maids in town, none of them want to take the risk. One day there is a great storm and Minny doesn’t want to go outside in the rain to use the toilet. Hilly denies her to use the inside bathroom. When Minny does it anyway, she is fired. She decides to help Skeeter too.