the help

The Help is set in Mississippi during the early 1960s, when the groundswell of feminism's "second wave" was still building. Kathryn Stockett's novel revolves around events in 1962-1963, before thewomen's liberation movement, before Betty Friedan and other feminist leaders founded the National Organization for Women, before the media invented the myth of bra-burning. Although The Help is an imperfect depiction of the 1960s and the author stifles the budding feminism of some of her characters, the novel does touch on many issues that were relevant to 1960s feminism. Here's a look at some of those feminist issues that are worth exploring after you finish reading The Help. A hint of feminism in The Help may be most evident in post-college Skeeter, the young woman who questions restrictions placed on her by society's traditions. Her Southern socialite best friends have conformed to expectations by marrying, having children (or trying to) and even questioning why Skeeter stayed four years at Ole Miss to finish her degree, while they were dropping out of school. Skeeter is still trapped and still trying to fit in, but her inability to do so is partly due to her discomfort with the myth of femininity she is expected to live. The so-called second wave of feminism is often criticized for being too white. Betty Friedan's classicThe Feminine Mystique and other 1960s feminism accomplishments often came from a limited, white, middle-class point of view. Similar criticisms have been applied to The Help. This is partly because it is written by a white author who narrates in the black voices of Minny and Aibileen, and partly because of the way white voices in the U.S. continually tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement from a limited point of view. Many critics have questioned Kathryn Stockett's ability to speak for "the help." Although the story is about white and black women working together, it is difficult and even dangerous for them to do so. The Help reminds