My Trouble with 'Help'
I feel a bit like an interloper wading into this topic, but I saw The Help this weekend (as my friend Pamela would say, catch thy knee), and my reaction to it is, well… complicated.
First off, a disclaimer: I saw the movie, but I haven’t read the book by Kathryn Stockett. So I can only comment on the film. I am reluctant to wade into the deeper and hazardous waters of a discussion of its messages of racial inequality and the criticism of it as a work that seems designed to make white Americans feel better about a time of gross injustice in our country’s history, or about its depiction of women’s lives and the limited roles available to any of them in the early ‘60s South.
I’m reluctant for three reasons: I’m not a person of color, I’m not a woman, and I’m not from the South.
One thing I am, though, is a writer. By the same token, I’m reluctant to criticize another writer’s work because I know how much that hurts. But….
The one thing that jumped out at me about The Help after I finished watching it was it has the wrong title.
To quote Pamela yet again, pause... consider... continue.
For those who haven’t seen it [POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD], “the help” refers to the black women working as maids in privileged Southern households. But—there’s always a but, isn’t there?—the stories of those women are told through Skeeter, a young white woman, just graduated from college, who wants to be a writer and also chafes against the constraints of her family, her upbringing, and the casual racism of her shallow, privileged friends. Skeeter ends up interviewing her friends’ maids for a book that rocks the community and creates trouble for some of the maids, but lands Skeeter a job in New York by the end of the film.
See, the movie’s about Skeeter and her racist friends, not about the maids whose stories she co-opts. This is my problem: it feels to me like Skeeter, perhaps through good intentions, ends up exploiting the maids in a somewhat subtler but no less real way. And—this is the kicker for me—one of the maids wants to be a writer. That would have been a story that would have felt more genuine to me, I think. It would have made their struggle for justice the centerpiece, as opposed to a subplot.
Have you seen the movie? What did you think?
Keywords:
About Jeffrey
Jeffrey Ricker is a writer, editor, and graphic designer. His first novel, Detours, is available from Bold Strokes Books. His writing has appeared in the literary magazine Collective Fallout and the anthologies Paws and Reflect, Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction...
Connections
I read the book and saw the
I read the book and saw the movie. I wrote a blog on my author page titled What's the Message. I have very mixed emotions about the book and movie. I agree with some of your points because there is a deeper message. In addition to the maid who wanted to be a writer there was the maid who was struggling to get money to send her son to college. For me it did not capitalize on the positive themes as it could have. I am a black woman who grew up in the 60's and worked as a maid in NYC but used that as a stepping stone. Got my BA from Howard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Published my memoir in 2010: The Road to Someplace Better.
I will say this: in a limited
I will say this: in a limited way, the character who wants to become a writer does -- in the book -- get this opportunity.
I adored the book for what it was - as a period piece, Skeeter's actions were brave, but yes - there's a bit of something sour to it. I thought the movie did an admirable job of telling the story, where even with the whole "white heroine changes the lives of black women!" cringe-worthy moments, I think the core message was pretty clear: All of the societal race/class/freedom issues of that time? They freaking sucked.
Could the movie do as much as the book? No. And like I said, I loved the book. I stayed up very late finishing the book in one sitting. It's not radically different than the book, but there's so much more to it - the thoughts of all the women - that it just sat better. I don't recall if Skeeter ever had an "aha" moment about her using the maids as a way out (whether or not she was, as well, helping them - and one thing the movie was missing in the movie that ticked me off was what those women did with the money).
It would be impossible to write any sort of racially charged time period (or contemporary) tale without failing to make everyone happy. For what it was, I think it told a story with some honest characters.
I actually very much like the title. To me, it spoke of Skeeter's realization of how these women - who were so easily tossed aside as merely "the help" - were so much more than that. There's more about her relationship with Constantine, and other scenes in the book that give her reasoning and motivation a heck of a lot more depth.
Thank you, Lillian and
Thank you, Lillian and 'Nathan, for commenting. I don't know why I didn't realize until now that people had weighed in on this topic here. I had a rather lengthy discussion with my friends Becky and Marika on this as well, both of whom approach it as Southerners and from stories their families told them about the time period. I can only approach this from having seen the movie, and really, most movies made from books tend to disappoint.
Lillian, your real-life story is inspiring!
Thanks Jeffrey. I have had
Thanks Jeffrey. I have had discussions with many people both black and white and they have a variety f perspectives based on their peronal experiences or lack thereof.