The Help by Kathryn Stockett | Teen Ink

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

October 22, 2011
By Fitzgerald96 GOLD, Folsom, California
Fitzgerald96 GOLD, Folsom, California
10 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Writers aren&#039;t exactly people...they&#039;re a whole lot of people trying to be one person.&rdquo;<br /> F. Scott Fitzgerald quote


“You smart, you kind, you important.” These words were spoken by one of the heroines of the novel, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, to the white child she raised. It rings true of both the character and the novel in its entirety. Smartly written, this book unveils moments that will make you laugh out loud, cry silent tears, and cheer as you follow the three very different, loveable women who carry you through this novel about two black maids who dare to tell the truth about what it means to work for white families in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement. They divulge this information to none other than an affluent, white woman with colored sympathies. They embark on this outrageous and dangerous deed to lay bare the realities of a paid slave while praying that the Bible proves true and “the truth will set them free”. The importance of this book lies in the light it sheds on the primitive ideas that still exist in a modern age. The troublesome revelation comes when one realizes the setting was experienced by our grandmothers not some ancient ancestors. In the hearts of some, racism still reigns. Our generation holds the responsibility of reading this book and making a change. Every era gives their offering to literary history: the early 1800’s delivered Pride and Prejudice, the 1860’s Crime and Punishment, the 1920’s The Great Gatsby, the 1950’s the Old Man and the Sea, and we offer The Help.


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