The Help Character Analysis
One is not born knowing the difference between right and wrong, but must observe the actions of others to confirm their own beliefs. Often, while observing others’ lives, adolescents do not remember the respectable actions of those around them, but instead set people apart based on the evil they encountered. It is much easier for someone to see another’s actions and understand its immorality than to recognize the decent ones; for those who perform good deeds do not lure attention but those who act poorly always draw a crowd. Kathryn Stockett acknowledged this aspect of human nature and applied it in her bestselling novel The Help by including the character of Hilly Holbrook to depict the “villain” which lied within most of the white southerners
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Other white families saw this as admirable, but to the help, her authority was seen as a threat to ensure proper behavior. One of the novels main characters, Minny Jackson, was employed by Miss Hilly’s mother, Mrs. Walters, and was known for being the best cook in town. After Hilly Holbrook decided to send her mother to a nursing home, therefore leaving Minny unemployed, she used her influence in town to convince everyone that Minny had stolen from Mrs. Walters in the attempt to prevent her from being hired elsewhere; leaving her so desperate that she would work for Miss Hilly herself. In addition to hurting Minny’s career, Holbrook convinced many Jackson women to fire their help after she gathered which ones had contributed stories to help publish “The Help”. Aibileen Clark, another main character who was exposed for having great influence on the book, was framed for stealing and after forty years as a maid felt that, due to Miss Hilly’s actions, “in thirty minutes, [her] whole life’s…done”(522). By allowing the two main characters to personally be victimized by Hilly Holbrook, Stockett provokes a hate in each reader for the villain that is Miss Hilly. Although these manipulations may be exaggerated, the mistreatment and racism that occurred by the fictional character of Hilly Holbrook and real people during this time period still ensued. It is easier for a reader to hate the antagonist when they are hurting a character they have grown to know and sympathize with, but Stockett wishes to use these stories to display how the villains of this time should have been pictured all
Other white families saw this as admirable, but to the help, her authority was seen as a threat to ensure proper behavior. One of the novels main characters, Minny Jackson, was employed by Miss Hilly’s mother, Mrs. Walters, and was known for being the best cook in town. After Hilly Holbrook decided to send her mother to a nursing home, therefore leaving Minny unemployed, she used her influence in town to convince everyone that Minny had stolen from Mrs. Walters in the attempt to prevent her from being hired elsewhere; leaving her so desperate that she would work for Miss Hilly herself. In addition to hurting Minny’s career, Holbrook convinced many Jackson women to fire their help after she gathered which ones had contributed stories to help publish “The Help”. Aibileen Clark, another main character who was exposed for having great influence on the book, was framed for stealing and after forty years as a maid felt that, due to Miss Hilly’s actions, “in thirty minutes, [her] whole life’s…done”(522). By allowing the two main characters to personally be victimized by Hilly Holbrook, Stockett provokes a hate in each reader for the villain that is Miss Hilly. Although these manipulations may be exaggerated, the mistreatment and racism that occurred by the fictional character of Hilly Holbrook and real people during this time period still ensued. It is easier for a reader to hate the antagonist when they are hurting a character they have grown to know and sympathize with, but Stockett wishes to use these stories to display how the villains of this time should have been pictured all