So I have a lot to say about "The Help," but I want to hear what ya'll have to say about it before I just shoot off a massive post with all my feelings. I'm shooting for a more detailed post instead of an overall review if you will. So two things I want to say:
A- Celia Foote was my favorite character to read.
B- I absolutely adored Aibileen continually telling Mae Mobley she was good, kind and smart.
Okay concerning Celia: It may seem odd that she was totally my favorite character when you compare her to ... say... Aibileen, but I just couldn't help but love her! I felt totally sympathetic towards the one person in the book who didn't get the rules. I loved how hard she tried and how very natural she was (okay I know the oober-blonde hair and all wasn't exactly "natural,"but the point is that she was who she was!) I guess she was trying to live by the rules, but she didn't get them, and she put so much of her own natural inclinations into things. And even though you knew she was always going to fail I wanted so badly for her not to! (I thought all the lead up to the big ball, which name is escaping me at the moment, was truly hillarious. The author did such a great job at building and building up to it. I was mortified for her and it was kind of a "I want to look away but I just CAN'T," kind of feeling for me.)
I was so grateful that she had such a sweet and adoring husband who didn't care what anyone else thought. If he hadn't have been in the picture or if he had turned out to be a jerk it would have been too much for me.
I also loved her for the way she was able to love Minny, and I loved watching their relationship develop. I loved how Minny professed she was a "crazy fool," but how her actions spoke louder than words and you knew she was starting to love her in spite of herself. How could you not? Celia is so pathetically loveable.
Now concerning Aibileen telling Mae Mobley she was good. Oh! I appreciated this so much! I have long felt that in ANY relationship, but especially relationships with children it is SO important to tell people they are good! I really believe that we all have such a power within us to help people become who it is they are going to become (did that confuse you how I said that?!?). I just think that if you continually hear that you are bad- you start to believe it and then act it. But the opposite is also true- if you continually hear you are good you believe it- or if you don't believe if you at least WANT to believe it and try and make your actions consistent with what you are being told.
As a child my mother always expressed so much confidence in me. Always, always I was being told in one way or another the same thing that Aibileen told Mae... that I was good, that I was smart, and that I was kind. As a young child I just accepted it and it gave me confidence, as a youth when I screwed up but she kept telling me anyway, I wanted so much to make it the truth so I tried hard to live up to it.
Reading it from Aibileen was really touching, especially where Elizabeth was telling her daughter the exact opposite. I loved her trying to offset her mom's influence. Sad! That she had to do it, but good that she did.
Any thoughts?
ps- I'm sorry I can't just say something short and simply. I have yet to learn that skill.
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oh I'm so glad we can start discussion!! I read this back in January and have been dying to talk about it!
ReplyDeleteI also loved Celia. I thought that the parallels between how people treated her and how they treated "the help" was very sad. Shame on people who decide that they just don't like someone and then justify themselves in treating them however they want just because they can. It is very sad to me. But I was so happy for the Minny that she was able to see that white ladies could become her friend, and that they did in fact become friends even though Minny kept professing that they weren't friends. I also loved her relationship with her husband as Ashlee said. How rare is that to hear of a spouse who is so unconditionally in love with his wife that he'll do whatever it takes to make her happy.
I have always been drawn to the all-wise-everything-I-say-is-profound-loving-despite-all-the-junk-going-on-in-my-life black women in literature. It always makes me wish I could sit down with them and let them give me some feedback on my life and where I am going, although I'm sure that sounds funny. I secretly wish I were as wise as these characters-that when someone came to me with a problem I could help them see the bright side and offer practical advice that made people feel better and then give them a hug and a sandwich. Unfortunately, I'm not even close, but I am always drawn to these characters as I said before. I love the August character from Secret Life of Bees (her name was August right??) and in the Shack, when Mack is visited by God, it is a large black woman who called him "honey" and cooked the best food ever. These characters just give me warm fuzzies.
I just wanted to hug Aibileen for all the good that she was trying to do in her own little way. And even though it might have felt like a small thing at the time, who knows how much influence we can have on people by influencing the thoughts and feelings of just one child. And she had "had" 14 children. Who knows her influence for good. It just gave me more desire to be more for the little people and big people in my life.
I have a lot more to say about The Help, but I'll do another post for that. (I sympathize with your inability to be brief, Ashlee! But I appreciate it in you-it makes for better discussions)
I loved this book, I have been thinking about it ever since I finished it a few day's ago. The author did such an amazing job with the characters, I feel like I really want to be part of their lives(then I remember they are fictional). Like Shayla and Ashlee I love Celia and her husband. I too really liked how unaware of the "rules" she was.
ReplyDeleteI loved Aibileen and her kindness, and love for the children she had raised. Is it Aibileen that talks about one of the kids she is raising that get's beaten by his father with a hose all of the time? Any way who ever it was I can't imagine having to sit by while someone(the parent) beats the child that you love and you can't do anything. That would be torture in of it's self, and then you have to serve and clean for that parent. That take's some serious self control.
I felt bad for Skeeter being so alone through the writing of the book, and I was sad when it didn't work out with Stuart even though I knew it was coming. I also enjoyed her relationship with her mother, even though she had a lot of faults and was not alway's a great mom, I was happy when she stood up for her towards the end of the book with Stuart. And you realize she really is proud of her daughter.
It was so fun to hate Hilly. I loved that the author made her pudgy and the description of her clothes alway's made me laugh. What a horrible person, I was so proud of Skeeter for finally standing up to her with the toilet thing. And the pie thing was so sick yet funny and in the end the insurance that they needed.
It was amazing how the white women complained about how the black people were so dirty and diseased, but yet they hired them and let them into their homes to cook, clean and take care of their babies. How did they never see the contradiction in this? If I think someone is sick the last thing I want them to touch is my child or my food. Do they really believe it or is it something the white people say to keep the degree of separation as wide as possible? Any way I will stop now, you really could go on about this book forever!
This is Jamie not Gabraylie - I thought I had fixed this!
I haven't been able to read this book yet. I'm like 80 on the library waiting list, but I'm definitely going to read it ASAP. I guess I could buy it . . . but that costs money.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do have a suggestion for a book in the coming months. My sister read it and loved it. It's called, Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It looks fantastic. Has anyone read it?
I'll join the conversation next month, so til then, happy reading!