The Power Struggle In Kathryn Stockett's The Help

Kathryn Stockett’s, The Help, displays a complex power struggle that unravels throughout the entire novel keeping readers at bay with anticipation. Taking place in what many refer to as the heart of racism in the 1960s, Jackson, Mississippi acts as the eerily ideal atmosphere for Stockett’s novel, as well as being her homestead. In addition, some aspects of the author herself are even portrayed in one of the main characters, Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a fiery, white female aged twenty two, who views Jackson in a different way than anyone else. Over the course of the novel, Skeeter’s opinions of what matters in life change as she battles for freedom with herself, Hilly Holbrook, a childhood friend who betrayed her, and greatest of all, the town. In the beginning of the novel, Skeeter must confront her most immense mental obstacle, her self. Her return from studying at Ole Miss and receiving her diploma jarringly contrasts with the life back home where racism is widely accepted and the appreciation for women’s education is vacant. Nevertheless, Skeeter must defy her temptation to let others opinions and social boundaries avert her from reaching her goals of becoming an author and writer. After returning from university, writing develops into a deep passion of hers, however, her own mother disapproves, seeing it as frivolous and irrational for women to write. Accordingly, her mother
But she remained strong and always had a spark of hope burning inside of her, for she knew if she ever let the fire go out, so would the story. However to the maids and to Skeeter, it was not just a story. Instead, it was a door to freeing themselves, turning the page on their lives, ready to start a new. This is what made Skeeter’s struggle for power and freedom so righteous. It wasn’t just for herself, or even for the maids, it was a path to equality and an end to