The Helpful Characters

          The main characters connect the audience to the film through their personal experiences. The first main character of the movie is Skeeter Phelan, who is an educated women that wants to make the world better and does not fit in her society. The movie starts out her life when she is coming home from college and decides to work for the Jackson Journal. She is well educated and unmarried unlike most girls and pursues her dreams of being a writer. Skeeter is friends with the high-society ladies such as Hilly, but soon pulls away from them when she does not uphold to there silly racist beliefs. She slowly becomes a social pariah because of her beliefs and develops an idea to help the African American community by writing a book called The Help. Skeeter releases the book even though it was illegal anonymously from the view point of the African American maids in white households. At the end of the movie Skeeter is greatly rewarded with new friends and opportunities, but also becomes closer with her mother who soon finds her courage with her daughter's help.

Skeeter Phelan

             Another main Character in the movie The Help is Aibileen Clark, who is a courageous and kind women who lives alone. Aibileen has been a house maid since she was a teen and currently in the movie she is working for the Leefolt family. One thing that the movie focusses on a lot is the relationship between Aibileen and Mae Mobley, who is the Leefolt's daughter. Aibileen teaches Mae Mobley so many things, but most of all she shows her love because she is the only one that takes care of her. She shows her this love as if Mae Mobley were her own child since, recently her own son had died at the age twenty-four. When Skeeter decides to write the book, The Help at first she does not want to be apart of it, but she then changes her mind. While thinking about her son and Mae Mobley she decides she wants to help get the word out about the cruelness in Jackson. Her bravery to help with the book in the end changes her to stand up more for herself and others as she then pursues a career as a writer.

Aibileen and Mae Mobley

Aibileen standing up for herself

         The last intriguing character I picked was Minny Jackson, who is a funny and hardworking women with several kids, and has a husband who beats her often. In the beginning of the movie she is working for Hilly and after Minny is fired her husband finds out and beats her for not having a job. Minny then starts looking for a job and cannot get one so she is forced to make her oldest daughter quit school and become a young housemaid. She then gets a job from Celia and they later become good friends because of there struggles and fun. Minny's humor is present when she is with Celia and Aibileen, but also when she says funny phrases such as when she tells herself "no sass-mouthing" before she goes to work. Minny also helps Skeeter with her book since she is close friends with Aibileen and persuades other maids to join too. At the end of the movie Minny becomes stronger through her friends support and then leaves her husband to protect her and her kids.

Minny Jackson