Judgment Isn't Helping
The novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett is full of prejudice, since it takes place during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, yet some of these characters realize that they should not have made assumptions about others. The characters could have used the advice that Nick Carraway’s father gave him in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.’” Many of the main characters, the African American women who are maids for rich white families, are disadvantaged because of white people. However, the novel shows the flip side of this too: white women were judged by black women as well, and sometimes these women had hidden disadvantages. The Help proves that it is important to not make assumptions about others, remember there could be a hidden disadvantage, and to treat others with kindness.
Perhaps the most disadvantaged white character in The Help is Celia Rae Foote. Instead of coming from a wealthy community like Hilly Holbrook, she is from Sugar Ditch, Mississippi which is a very poor town. She dated Johnny Foote and then married him, but he was Hilly’s ex-girlfriend and Hilly hated Celia from the start. When Minny goes to work for her as a maid, Miss Celia doesn’t know how to do anything nor does she do anything at all. Minny, who has only known a life of hard work, believes Miss Celia is either very lazy or sick, and is always making remarks to herself such as “I’m wondering if she was sick in the body but now I’m wondering if she’s sick in the head,” (Stockett, 130). Minny judges Miss Celia even more once she sees Miss Celia drinking what seems to be whisky and assumes that she is an alcoholic. Then, when Miss Celia has a stillborn child, (and has had others in the past) but wants children, Minny says, “”Then why in the heck are you drinking? You know you can’t hold no baby with a pint of whiskey in you.’” Miss Celia replies, confused: “‘You thought I was...’ She shakes her head. ‘It’s catch tonic’” (Stockett, 234). Although Miss Celia comes from a bad neighborhood, she isn’t a drunk. Minny makes the assumption that she’s lazy and an alcoholic, but in reality Miss Celia just longed to be a mother. The misguided woman hoped that if she didn’t move around a lot and drank a Native American tonic, she could have a baby. Miss Celia had many disadvantages, yet some only she knew about. When criticizing someone you believe does not have any disadvantages, it is necessary to remember that their problems may be hidden. Otherwise, it would be unfair to criticize them.
Another presumption characters in the book, and readers, may make about Miss Celia is that she is weak and wimpy. She can’t clean, cook or have children. So when the naked man arrives in her backyard, readers assume Minny must attempt to fight him off by herself. Yet Miss Celia surprisingly hits the man with a fire poker. There was a crack and “the man’s jaw goes sideways and blood bursts out of his mouth. He wobbles around, turns, and Miss Celia whacks the other side of his face too. Like she just wanted to even him up” (Stockett, 308). When people seem weak, both physically and mentally, you never know how strong they can really be. Miss Celia seems to be weak, but in reality she deals with being excluded and made fun of by other women, trying to have a baby, trying to be a good wife, and of all things a naked man in her backyard. In times of trouble, it can be surprising how humanity can prevail.
Instead of criticizing and judging those with disadvantages, it is much better to treat them with kindness. Constantine, Miss Skeeter’s old maid, often told stories about her father. Constantine recalled, “One time I was boo-hooing over hard feelings, I reckon I had a list of things to be upset about, being poor, cold baths, rotten tooth, I don’t know. But he held me by my hand, hugged me to him for the longest time” (Stockett, 67). Instead of criticizing her for her disadvantages, Constantine’s father would comfort her. Constantine learned from his caring nature and would always comfort Skeeter when she was a child. Skeeter learned from this as well and showed that while it is so easy to judge people, it is better to treat others with kindness. Just one person having a comforting manner and caring for those with troubles can have long-lasting effects since this was passed on from father to maid to child. Many of the white people in the novel such as Miss Hilly and Miss Leefolt were prejudiced, but Miss Skeeter treated others with kindness. The other women were her friends, yet she did not follow their example. Miss Skeeter did her part to help the maids, deprived of civil rights and earning unfair pay by writing a book about them. Instead of criticizing those with disadvantages, it is better to care for and help them.
One of the biggest examples of not making assumptions about others with disadvantages came from a minor character, Lou Anne. Skeeter sees her in a store with Hilly, and they talk to each other privately for a moment.
Lou Anne confesses that her maid, Louvenia, is “‘the only reason I can get out of bed sometimes.’ I don’t say anything. Maybe this is a trap Hilly’s set. ‘And I’m sure you think I’m just some dumb girl… that I agree with everything Hilly says.” Tears come up in her eyes. Her lips are trembling. ‘The doctors want me to go up to Memphis for… shock treatment…’ She covers her face but a tear slips through her fingers. ‘For the depression and the… the tries’” (Stockett, 417).
She then continues to say how she was so grateful that Louvenia wrote such kind things about her, and she feels the best she has in months. As Louvenia leaves, Skeeter reflects on what she learned. She thinks to herself, “There is so much you don’t know about a person. I wonder if I could’ve made her days a little bit easier, if I’d tried. If I’d treated her a little nicer. Wasn’t that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought” (Stockett, 418). It is necessary to realize this in order to be able to overlook disadvantages and refrain from criticizing others. Everyone is trying their hardest in life to do what they think is right, and this should be respected. We’re all just people and we all make mistakes. Some aspects of our lives we can’t control, including many disadvantages, and it is ridiculous to judge someone for something that is out of their hands.
The Help is a book all about judging and criticizing others, and how the way people treat each other can strongly impact society. Wealth can impact judgment and The Great Gatsby proves this as well. The advice of Nick Carraway’s father would have been useful to characters of both novels, and to people today as well. There are many different types of disadvantages discussed in the novel. Miss Celia is seen as a lazy, wimpy alcoholic who only lives a wealthy life because of her husband and not through her own work. However, Minny finds that she has, in fact, had many miscarriages and cares about her husband very much. She wants to be a good person and help causes like the Benefit, but the other women dislike and judge her. Because of her background, she didn’t know how to dress or act in the society of privileged white women. Although Miss Celia has her weaker moments, she proves her strength by beating the man with the fire poker and surpassing Minny’s and readers’ expectations. Instead of criticizing and judging others based on their disadvantages, characters like Skeeter and Constantine’s father treated others with kindness. All throughout her life when Constantine was having hardships, her father was there for her and Constantine passed on the caring nature to Miss Skeeter. If someone cares for those with disadvantages, it can inspire others to do the same. Miss Skeeter decided to help the African American maids, who were disadvantaged because laws took away their rights. Her actions positively impacted many people. Yet even Skeeter is not perfect. She does not think very highly of Lou Anne until she finds out more information about her, and then realizes that she has misjudged her and that she didn’t really know Lou Anne. Everyone has disadvantages, and it must be understood that each person’s are different. The novel The Help and the lives of African American maids and white women during the time of the Civil Rights Movement can help readers understand that “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone… just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.’”
Perhaps the most disadvantaged white character in The Help is Celia Rae Foote. Instead of coming from a wealthy community like Hilly Holbrook, she is from Sugar Ditch, Mississippi which is a very poor town. She dated Johnny Foote and then married him, but he was Hilly’s ex-girlfriend and Hilly hated Celia from the start. When Minny goes to work for her as a maid, Miss Celia doesn’t know how to do anything nor does she do anything at all. Minny, who has only known a life of hard work, believes Miss Celia is either very lazy or sick, and is always making remarks to herself such as “I’m wondering if she was sick in the body but now I’m wondering if she’s sick in the head,” (Stockett, 130). Minny judges Miss Celia even more once she sees Miss Celia drinking what seems to be whisky and assumes that she is an alcoholic. Then, when Miss Celia has a stillborn child, (and has had others in the past) but wants children, Minny says, “”Then why in the heck are you drinking? You know you can’t hold no baby with a pint of whiskey in you.’” Miss Celia replies, confused: “‘You thought I was...’ She shakes her head. ‘It’s catch tonic’” (Stockett, 234). Although Miss Celia comes from a bad neighborhood, she isn’t a drunk. Minny makes the assumption that she’s lazy and an alcoholic, but in reality Miss Celia just longed to be a mother. The misguided woman hoped that if she didn’t move around a lot and drank a Native American tonic, she could have a baby. Miss Celia had many disadvantages, yet some only she knew about. When criticizing someone you believe does not have any disadvantages, it is necessary to remember that their problems may be hidden. Otherwise, it would be unfair to criticize them.
Another presumption characters in the book, and readers, may make about Miss Celia is that she is weak and wimpy. She can’t clean, cook or have children. So when the naked man arrives in her backyard, readers assume Minny must attempt to fight him off by herself. Yet Miss Celia surprisingly hits the man with a fire poker. There was a crack and “the man’s jaw goes sideways and blood bursts out of his mouth. He wobbles around, turns, and Miss Celia whacks the other side of his face too. Like she just wanted to even him up” (Stockett, 308). When people seem weak, both physically and mentally, you never know how strong they can really be. Miss Celia seems to be weak, but in reality she deals with being excluded and made fun of by other women, trying to have a baby, trying to be a good wife, and of all things a naked man in her backyard. In times of trouble, it can be surprising how humanity can prevail.
Instead of criticizing and judging those with disadvantages, it is much better to treat them with kindness. Constantine, Miss Skeeter’s old maid, often told stories about her father. Constantine recalled, “One time I was boo-hooing over hard feelings, I reckon I had a list of things to be upset about, being poor, cold baths, rotten tooth, I don’t know. But he held me by my hand, hugged me to him for the longest time” (Stockett, 67). Instead of criticizing her for her disadvantages, Constantine’s father would comfort her. Constantine learned from his caring nature and would always comfort Skeeter when she was a child. Skeeter learned from this as well and showed that while it is so easy to judge people, it is better to treat others with kindness. Just one person having a comforting manner and caring for those with troubles can have long-lasting effects since this was passed on from father to maid to child. Many of the white people in the novel such as Miss Hilly and Miss Leefolt were prejudiced, but Miss Skeeter treated others with kindness. The other women were her friends, yet she did not follow their example. Miss Skeeter did her part to help the maids, deprived of civil rights and earning unfair pay by writing a book about them. Instead of criticizing those with disadvantages, it is better to care for and help them.
One of the biggest examples of not making assumptions about others with disadvantages came from a minor character, Lou Anne. Skeeter sees her in a store with Hilly, and they talk to each other privately for a moment.
Lou Anne confesses that her maid, Louvenia, is “‘the only reason I can get out of bed sometimes.’ I don’t say anything. Maybe this is a trap Hilly’s set. ‘And I’m sure you think I’m just some dumb girl… that I agree with everything Hilly says.” Tears come up in her eyes. Her lips are trembling. ‘The doctors want me to go up to Memphis for… shock treatment…’ She covers her face but a tear slips through her fingers. ‘For the depression and the… the tries’” (Stockett, 417).
She then continues to say how she was so grateful that Louvenia wrote such kind things about her, and she feels the best she has in months. As Louvenia leaves, Skeeter reflects on what she learned. She thinks to herself, “There is so much you don’t know about a person. I wonder if I could’ve made her days a little bit easier, if I’d tried. If I’d treated her a little nicer. Wasn’t that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought” (Stockett, 418). It is necessary to realize this in order to be able to overlook disadvantages and refrain from criticizing others. Everyone is trying their hardest in life to do what they think is right, and this should be respected. We’re all just people and we all make mistakes. Some aspects of our lives we can’t control, including many disadvantages, and it is ridiculous to judge someone for something that is out of their hands.
The Help is a book all about judging and criticizing others, and how the way people treat each other can strongly impact society. Wealth can impact judgment and The Great Gatsby proves this as well. The advice of Nick Carraway’s father would have been useful to characters of both novels, and to people today as well. There are many different types of disadvantages discussed in the novel. Miss Celia is seen as a lazy, wimpy alcoholic who only lives a wealthy life because of her husband and not through her own work. However, Minny finds that she has, in fact, had many miscarriages and cares about her husband very much. She wants to be a good person and help causes like the Benefit, but the other women dislike and judge her. Because of her background, she didn’t know how to dress or act in the society of privileged white women. Although Miss Celia has her weaker moments, she proves her strength by beating the man with the fire poker and surpassing Minny’s and readers’ expectations. Instead of criticizing and judging others based on their disadvantages, characters like Skeeter and Constantine’s father treated others with kindness. All throughout her life when Constantine was having hardships, her father was there for her and Constantine passed on the caring nature to Miss Skeeter. If someone cares for those with disadvantages, it can inspire others to do the same. Miss Skeeter decided to help the African American maids, who were disadvantaged because laws took away their rights. Her actions positively impacted many people. Yet even Skeeter is not perfect. She does not think very highly of Lou Anne until she finds out more information about her, and then realizes that she has misjudged her and that she didn’t really know Lou Anne. Everyone has disadvantages, and it must be understood that each person’s are different. The novel The Help and the lives of African American maids and white women during the time of the Civil Rights Movement can help readers understand that “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone… just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.’”