Life For A Black Woman In The 1960's
Life for a black woman in the 1960’s was about as easy as finding a job once you’ve been called a thief. No one treated you right, everyone looked at you as if you had some sort of disease, you got bossed around and you had to take it. A symbol represented in the book is a white apron. A white apron represents the help since that is what they have to wear everyday of their lives while working for their white peoples. The idea a white apron represents is the injustice black people have to deal with from the day they're born to the day they die. It also conveys the differences between blacks and whites. White ladies got to wear their fancy dresses and get their hair done up all nice while walking around in their pretty heels. Whites were treated
better and got more respect. They don't get the dirty looks the black community does. In the book it reads, “Don’t worry about it, Aibileen. It’s too hot for stockings.”... “And I can’t have you serving us like that, with your- your legs showing!” (The Help, 457,459) This shows how black women, such as Aibileen, have no power in what they wear, say or do because of a white lady. Some white ladies were cruel and treated their help like dirt, others were nice and treated their help like family.Miss Skeeter, Minny and Aibileen knew this was true that is why they wrote the book. They wanted to show the white ladies how they treated their own help. The theme that relates to the symbol is racism. Racism is a large theme throughout the book. A quote from the book says, “Negroes and whites are not allowed to share water fountains, movie houses, public restrooms, ballparks, phone booths, circus shows.” (The Help, 203) White people caused black lives to be limited. Few ever got to go to college or even finish high school because they had to drop out to become a farmer or a maid. The symbol, a white apron, and the theme get the point across that blacks do not have equal rights and are treated unfairly. The reason Skeeter, Minny and Aibileen plus all the other maids made the book was to show the people joe badly black people were treated and hopefully it would change thing not only in Jackson, Mississippi, but everywhere the book spread to. This is an important theme to be aware of because even though it's not as serious as it was in the 1960’s, racism is still being practiced to this day.
better and got more respect. They don't get the dirty looks the black community does. In the book it reads, “Don’t worry about it, Aibileen. It’s too hot for stockings.”... “And I can’t have you serving us like that, with your- your legs showing!” (The Help, 457,459) This shows how black women, such as Aibileen, have no power in what they wear, say or do because of a white lady. Some white ladies were cruel and treated their help like dirt, others were nice and treated their help like family.Miss Skeeter, Minny and Aibileen knew this was true that is why they wrote the book. They wanted to show the white ladies how they treated their own help. The theme that relates to the symbol is racism. Racism is a large theme throughout the book. A quote from the book says, “Negroes and whites are not allowed to share water fountains, movie houses, public restrooms, ballparks, phone booths, circus shows.” (The Help, 203) White people caused black lives to be limited. Few ever got to go to college or even finish high school because they had to drop out to become a farmer or a maid. The symbol, a white apron, and the theme get the point across that blacks do not have equal rights and are treated unfairly. The reason Skeeter, Minny and Aibileen plus all the other maids made the book was to show the people joe badly black people were treated and hopefully it would change thing not only in Jackson, Mississippi, but everywhere the book spread to. This is an important theme to be aware of because even though it's not as serious as it was in the 1960’s, racism is still being practiced to this day.