Life Exposed In Kathryn Stockett's The Help

Author, Kathryn Stockett wrote the book, The Help for many different reasons. She wanted to tell a story from a unique perspective since not many books are written in this manner. Another reason she chose to write about life through the eyes of the help is due to how passionately she felt this was needed to be shown to the world. Americans need to realize situations that happened in the past so that it will never happen again for future generations. She also wrote it to highlight the struggles and apologize to the colored people for what was bestowed upon them, even if she was not a part of the incident directly. In the book, The Help, Kathryn Stockett wanted to inform and describe to the readers about the way the blacks were treated and lived,
These perspectives include both white and black people of different social classes. At the beginning of the novel you can vividly visualize the different areas and lifestyles between how the white people are required to live versus how the black people do. There are separate places only black people can visit, such as only the colored hospitals or colored grocery stores, unless they were wearing their white uniforms, shopping for their employers. Some rules the African Americans were forced to follow includes: not attending the same restaurants, movie theaters, or even sitting at the same table as white people. It was a harsh, restricted life the blacks were forced to live. Not only are the blacks treated poorly, but they must also live in the black part of the city. There was a violent incidence that took place in the book where the KKK came and shot a man named Medgar Evers in front of his house and in front of his family. The white people did not care about the black peoples’ feelings or anything else about them. The whites just knew that they were not born the same color, therefore should be treated differently, even though they have no right to do that. They could not help the color of their skin when they were born. It was a punishment they never claimed they wanted. The white people, especially the KKK,
The blacks have a little more freedom than they previously did have, and because of the book Miss Skeeter wrote, some of the white ladies have a genuine, true relationship with their maids, where they can now trust and believe each other. For example, Miss Chotard and her maid Willie Mae had a deep conversation about her past experiences with the other ladies she has previously worked for, and they started to understand and know each other better, while sitting at the same table. Also, due to the deep love the black maids feel for the families they are waiting on, they help the families out more than they knew they could. This is shown by Louvenia and how she is the only reason Lou Anne picks herself out of bed some days, and how “even with all her problems, she sits down and talks to me.” Once Skeeter’s book is released to the public, the white ladies begin to realize what they have done and what it must feel like for the black maids to be underappreciated and criticized about everything. This is what sparks the relationships and the change in the lives of the people in Jackson, Mississippi, and maybe other places around the U.S. Although, there were still some people, such as Hilly Holbrook, who did not want to change and give the black people a chance and did not want the world to change. She just continuously thought that the colored people are dirty and do not deserve an equal chance at