Interracial Communication In The Filmupdated

Running head: INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 1

Interracial Communication in the Film ‘The Help’

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 2

Introduction

The Help Film was developed by Tate Taylor, who is both an actor and a filmmaker. The

film was adapted from the novel of Kathryn Stockett which takes the same name. The novelist

reflects the 1960s during the emergence of civil rights movements, particularly in Mississippi, the

area referred to as Jackson. As scholars attest, it took quite some time for this novel to be published

until when Stockett met Tate Taylor who promised to assist her. In other words, it is argued that

the book was carrying a dangerous idea and, thus, it faced overwhelming opposition in its way to

being published. However, as a friend in need to Kathryn, Taylor, with permission from the author

went ahead to make a film for the novel. Generally, the film uses maids among African Americans

to portray how the blacks were racially segregated in Mississippi. For instance, Hilly Holbrook,

who is the wife of a famous politician, in the film is seen as hard-liner segregationist not only to

the maids but also to the larger society. For example, the woman once said that the blacks are

supposed to build their toilets for they carried contagious morbidities. In this prospect, the

filmmaker tries to show how the black race has been subjected to discrimination based on its color.

Therefore, this essay by using ‘The Help’ film by Tate Taylor seeks to discuss the historical

background of the problem of racism that the blacks face in the US as well as portray a different

perception of racial discrimination manifested in white homes towards black maids.

1 Historical Background of the Problem of Racism Experienced by African

Americans in the United States of America

In the United States, the plight of African Americans is the phenomenon which has been

deeply researched academics and scholars from various fields of the specification. On the context,

racism has been highly experienced by the Blacks since the introduction of the slavery in the

United States of America as a system after 1619 landing of the very first group made of 20 Africans

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in Jamestown. As a result, reality makes many people became aware that the United States of

America has an extensive history of progressively changing relationships between white and black

Americans. Moreover, the paper mainly puts more emphasis on explaining the daily struggles of

African American in an attempt to live with respect and dignity, as shown by the novel of Kathryn

Stockett the help. As depicted in the isolated South, the novel contains detailed depictions of the

events which happened since the late summer of 1962 all through to 1964 in Jackson, Mississippi.

Notably, the article identifies unbearable living conditions as experienced by African American

maid employed by the white Americans with a deeply-rooted racial prejudice against the Blacks.

Further, not only does The Help show fictional events happening in the thoughtlessly racist

community of Jackson; however, it depicts events which occurred.

In Kathryn Stockett's Film develops up to the racism issue in the South of the US by

displaying the relationships between the Black and white Americans from the late summer of 1962

through to 1964 in Mississippi (Taylor et al., 2012). The novel is written from the perspective of

three women. These women included Eugenia Phelan, famously known as Skeeter who is a white

graduate who aspires to be a journalist and assumes a monumental work of writing a novel on the

struggles of black maids from the point of view. The second lady is Aibileen Clark, a black maid

who helped in bring up seventeen children of white and Minny Jackson, a black maid who

encourages other maids to assist Skeeter to write her novel. On the same, each narrator provides

her history and background, thoughts as well as desires for a better change. Nevertheless, not only

does the book portray discrimination of the black maids by their white employers, but it also

focuses on the biased treatment of the White Americans of all ages towards the blacks from

different aspects of life.

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Set in the isolated South of the 1960s, The Help offers a vivid description of the actions

associated with the daily lives of the Mississippians. Stockett illustrates how racism is firmly

rooted in the whites against the black residents of Jackson through various instances of racist

behavior (Taylor et al., 2012). Moreover, apart from the fictional situations, be book also portrays

situations which in real sense happened. For example, the novel clearly illustrates the fear of

brutality and death that the African-American encounter after the assassination of Medgar Evers.

On that context, when the Mississippi black inhabitants realized that Ku Klux Klan members killed

him, they are afraid of death and escape parting their homes behind for fear of being killed. The

instance is more complicated since the fact that the Evers, the NAACP black field secretary who

fought against t5je exploitation of the Blacks, was instantly shot in front of his own before the eyes

of his children. Thus, blacks became aware that their lives were endangered because of their skin

color (Van Dijk, 2015).

Additionally, the next event which Stockett includes as a plot point in her Film is the long

fight of the African-Americans against the laws of Jim Crow. For example, she incorporates a

story description of the sit-in protest at Brown's Drug store. Minny Jackson, the black maid states

that “a group of white youngsters stand behind the five protestors on their stools, jabbing and

jeering, pouring the ketchup and salt all over their heads.” the activity clears implies that the strong

prejudicial attitudes of the white teenagers, racial discrimination as well as the aggregation toward

the blacks. Therefore, Stockett proposes that the children of the White taught by their teacher and

parents since the very tender age to hate and develop stereotypes against the Blacks as the grown

whites want to do away with the integration. As a result, it is quite challenging or even impossible

for white youths to eradicate racial behavior and stereotypes (Goldberg, 2016).

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Correspondingly, another essential aspect of the Jim Crow laws illustrates in the book is

the large between African-American and Americans in regard s to the facilities used by them. The

humiliating rules and regulations noted that Jackson's black inhabitants are not allowed to share

restaurants, shops, and libraries with whites. In the Film, The Help, the black maids such as Minny

and Aibileen, in some instances have to purchase from the White's shops for the white families

they work from, however, if and only if they are dressed in the white uniforms. What is vital to

note is that the shops, libraries, and the schools attended by the blacks were utterly different from

those of whites. Again, it is essential also to know that, if the blacks could not strictly follow laws

of the Jim Crow, the punishment was inevitable. For example, Skeeter points out that when there

was a sit-on protest a few years ago at the white library, "the department of the police simply

stepped back and turned the shepherds of the German loose (Taylor et al., 2012).”

Also, Stockett stresses the fact Jackson's black inhabitants can hardly make their ends meet

following the racial discrimination in terms of a job. The blacks are only given those disregarded

jobs such as fast-food workers, maids, and charwomen, and it is obvious they are paid low. Again,

the white employers have strong stereotype on the Black's laziness, irresponsibility, aggregation

as well as lack of intelligence (Taylor et al., 2012). Therefore, the blacks in Jackson live in

wretched poverty occupying the areas that were known to be the poorest parts of the city. Living

in such an unbearable condition, the black characters in the Film wanted to change their lives

fraught with hunger, pain, and suffering (Goldberg, 2016). As a result, there were violent protests,

like the one in the library as the Stockett explains it. Thus, Stockett through incorporating the real

history with fictional events, she provides an actual representation of the interracial discrimination

between the Mississippi inhabitants which was one of the most considered as racially oppressive

states in the United States.

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1.1 The Deﬁnition of Being Diﬀerent, Excluded the Other

Correspondingly, since slavery was introduced as a system back in 1661in Virginia, the

racist history of America has been fraught with a sequence of ups and downs in the relationship

between the African-Americans and Americans. This was a part of the history when the racial

conflict emerged between them. On that context, the blacks were treated as inferiors, 'the other’

by the whites. Blacks worked for long hours and sometimes from morning to evening without

breaking. The so-called system of oppression progressed until it was eliminated before the

American Civil War ended in 1865. However, the introduction of the 13th Amendment to the US

Constitution remarkably changed the lives of African-Americans (Goldberg, 2016). As a result,

from this time, the African-American, the others were now being treated as human beings and

would also be allowed to vote. Again, the Blacks started getting freedom and rights to education,

and to them what was more essential is that they were allowed to own land. Moreover, a year later,

the first Civil Rights were endorsed (Goldberg, 2016). The enacted Civil Rights reinforced the

African-American position by providing them with the American citizenships and thus equal

treatment before the law. Nevertheless, racial discrimination did not disappear as African-

American still were treated as subservient and inferior, the others. In some States, particularly in

the South, white Americans struggled to avert them from exercising the rights to vote by means

high poll taxes and literacy tests. Furthermore, the Blacks were paid less than the white Americans

for the same amount of work. Again, the next instance of the White's discrimination towards the

blacks was establishing secret organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan which highly embraced the

white supremacy. On the same, these members of these organizations humiliated their black

neighbors over the night wearing costumes and masks to horrify the Blacks. During the period of

reconstruction, in 1877, there also existed strict Jim Crow laws legislated (Goldberg, 2016). This

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humiliating set of regulations and rules officially segregated the people of color and the whites all

through the Southern American States, affecting almost of part of their life.

Additionally, early 20th century, the issue regarding race discrimination did not improve.

In the United States of America, there was a development of racist behavior and an extreme

increase in the racist attacks (Goldberg, 2016). During the First World War, the African-American

started moving to the west and North America in large numbers. They believed that at the new

places, they would get an opportunity for gaining knowledge and well-paying jobs. Thus, it was

challenging for the blacks to make their ends meet, and as a result, may live in desperate poverty

inhabiting slums.

Subsequently, the next period of remarkable changes in the race relations between the

Blacks and the whites was during the Second World War in the US. Some of the African-

Americans started to accomplish success in vast numbers of areas. For example, Sidney Poitiers

won the best actor Academy Award while Gwendolyn Brooks won a poetry prize, the Pulitzer.

Nonetheless, even if the lives of the African-Americans considerably improved, most of them were

still suffering from unemployment and acute poverty (Goldberg, 2016).

Later, the African-Americans started 5to occupy some specific places that were

specifically reserved for the whites during the 1960s through the 'sit-in protests.' Through means

of such protests, they implied that they were no longer going to comply with the unfair treatment.

Nonetheless, apart from participating in peaceful demonstrations, some African-Americans were

much weary of being regularly mistreated that they did not see have an alternative except standing

and fighting for their rights through protests. Further, to maintain the fight for peace, justice as

well as equal treatment for the blacks, during the 1960s the African-American were strongly

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represented by a generation of courageous black leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. who paid

for defense and maintain the dignity of the blacks in with his life.

Different types of racism in The Help

In her novel, Stockett provides a multitude of instances of racial discrimination of the

blacks living in Jackson, Mississippi. On that context, almost every white character in the book

displays hatred and stereotypes against the blacks and perceives them with contempt and scorn as

if they belonged to the second-class people without full rights and benefits. Thus, the novel's author

clearly illustrates that the firmly rooted racism permeates every aspect of the segregated

community of Jackson (Van Dijk, 2015).

Overt racism

The most characters of The Help have to handle different types of racism daily.

Nevertheless, most of them are victims of the overt racism, which reveals itself in contempt and

hatred towards the people of color. Poverty racism is characterized by the stereotypes of the racial

superiority developed by the whites who perceive themselves better than the blacks in terms of

intelligence and other personal traits (Goldberg, 2016). Overt racism is omnipresent in the racist

society of Jackson, which pointed out by the negative behavior of Hilly Holbrook towards her

black maid Minny Jackson including her Aibileen Clark, the black maid for her best friend,

Elizabeth Leefolt. Moreover, being the Hilly being the leader of the Jackson Junior League, which

targets to assist the Poor Starving Children Africa. However, during one of his meeting, a member

enquired from her if she could send cash to the poor rather than giving them a canned food which

h was much expensive in terms of transport. In turn, she responded and said that “she cannot send

money to this tribal people.” She adds that "when the blacks will get this money will definitely go

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the local voodoo and pay for a satanic tattoo with that money.” The whole activity implies the

condescending attitude of Hilly towards the blacks and lack of respect to them.

Additionally, Hilly meets her other friends in the house of Elizabeth, for their bridge game,

she states that African-American have various type of disease, and thus she advised for separation

of the white families from the black maids (FMovies, 2019). This separation involved constructing

separate bathrooms for the black maids. On top of that, she initiates a bill that demands all white

of Mississippi to build outdoor bathrooms for the black maids; she described this as a preventive

measure of diseases (Lloyd, 2018). As a result of this, Aibileen in few days started using a separate

bathroom that was outside the house of Leefolt.

Subsequently, when portrays a racist attitude by blindly following the suggestion of Hilly.

On that context, when her daughter uses the bathroom of their mad, Aibileen, Elizabeth confronts

her daughter that Aibileen is diseased and dirty. Thus, Leefolt shows prevailing behaviors and

attitudes of racial discrimination. This scenario implies that due to the prejudice of the adults,

towards the blacks, racism is passed from one generation to another.

Institutional Racism

Stockett also illustrates May scenarios of institutional racism. Institutional racism is

differentiated from racial bias or attitudes of people by the existence of the systematic laws or

policies and practices that offer differential access of services, goods as well as opportunities of

the society by race. Institutional racism leads to data displaying racial gaps across each system.

For families and children, it affects where they stay, the education quality they receive, their

income level, the kind of food they get, their exposure to pollutants, their access to clean water

and adequate and proper medical treatment as well as the types of interaction they have with the

criminal justice system (Van Dijk, 2015).

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On that context, institutional racism reveals itself in the unfair treatment of the blacks by

those in a position of the institutional power such as in schools, media systems as well as the

government. The discrimination is evident when some individual in control of institutional

authority uses it to oppress the people belonging to various equal race opportunities. The novel

portrays instances employing racial discrimination of the black maid who works for the white

people. On the same, the White stereotyped the African-Americans in the Film that, they qualified

for menial tasks like refuse collectors, plantation workers, and maids as it is the case of Aibileen.

Moreover, Aibileen feels much discriminate, especially by the friend of Elizabeth, Hilly

Holbrook, who demands the separation of the blacks and White through constructing bathrooms

outside their house for blacks. Again, Aibileen works for eight to four in a week, except on

Saturdays. In compensation, Aibileen is paid 43 dollars every Friday, which is very little for the

work she does. However, Aibileen is afraid of complaining to her white employer to be added a

payment despite struggling to make the ends met. Later, Aibileen is sucked from her job after

Elizabeth's kids grow old to stop being color blind. The Film’s author states that Aibileen brought

up seventeen kids, implying that many times she had to change her job.

Structural racism

In the United States, structural racism refers to normalization legitimization of an array of

cultural, historical, interpersonal and institutional grounds that routinely benefits only the white

people while creating lasting and cumulative impacts to the people of color. On the same point, it

is s system of hierarchy and inequity mainly characterized by the supremacy of the whites which

entails preferential treatment as well as power and the privilege of the whites at the expense of the

Blacks, Asians, Latino, African and Native Americans, Pacific Islander, Arabs among other people

of the color (Goldberg, 2016). From The Film, structural racism is portrayed by the profoundly-

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rooted stereotypes and believes of the whites towards the residents of Jackson that the Blacks are

liars and thieves. The book clearly illustrates a scenario where whites had a negative view of the

blacks when Minny the black maid for Hilly, is unfairly accused by Holbrook of stealing her silver.

As a result of false accusation, the reputation of Minny is destroyed, and thus, she finds it difficult

to secure another job, since whites are much trusted while blacks never deserved to be even trusted.

The residents of Mississippi believed her allegations that Minny is a thief.

Again, Stockett shows structural racism through the aspect in which the blacks have to

carefully observe the laws of Jim Crow which uphold the racial hierarchy emphasizing white

supremacy as well as the control over the black Americans (Van Dijk, 2015). These humiliating

rules made African-Americans not to live a decent life since the blacks were disadvantaged to

access even the basic services. For instance, the black residents of Jackson cannot use restaurants,

shops, libraries, and swimming pools for the whites. If the blacks failed to put up with these rules,

the Ku Klux Klan fought against them. The members of this group would terrorize the African-

Americans, beat them, and burn down their houses and even bullet them to death for adhering to

the laws of the Jim Crow.

1.3 Relationship between African Americans and Whites during the 1960s in

Jackson Mississippi

Before I confer to the film in our context, I want to give an analysis of the relationship

between African Americans in Jackson from historical texts. Firstly, American society since the

time immemorial has faced racial segregation bearing in mind that it is made up of blacks and

whites. As a result, blacks have been discriminated in schools, places of work, and almost in all

aspects of life. Going back to the history of the United States, the blacks participated significantly

in the American war of independence and the overwhelming freedom experienced in vast America

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is part of their contribution. However, it is astonishing to see in the 1960s the blacks of Mississippi

who stabilized the US economy being racially segregated in the country which in one way or the

other, they had played a significant role in fighting for its independence (Donnor, 2018). In other

words, historians report that during the 1960s, racial discrimination was so rampant that the white

race had no regard for the Jim Crow Legislation and, thus, in Mississippi segregation touched

almost every aspect of life (Donnor, 2018). In nearly every level, blacks and whites lived different

lives. Ranging from the entrances of health care facilities funded by the States to the public and

private hospices, racial discrimination was evident.

Again, historians attest that even the black detainees were kept in different cells from those

of the whites. Mcmillen, one of the prominent historians in the vast United States, argues that

through outright murder, fraud, and intimidation African Americans lost their political rights after

1877 and racial segregation become the better part of the society. In other words, unlike the other

southern states, Mississippi seemed not to have Jim Crow Laws that protected citizens against any

form of discrimination. More importantly, it is said that Jim Crow Laws allowed not only exclusion

but also separation based on race (Donnor, 2018). Further, scholars report that during 1960s places

used for social gatherings such as funerals, weddings as well as public facilities, divisions between

the two races were evident.

The hard-liner segregationists and civil rights activists are said to have battled remarkably

between the year 1963 and 1968 (Donnor, 2018). The unity that had hitherto been portrayed by

the white segregationists began to wobble after Ole’ Miss crisis and started missing in Citizens’

Council. In other words, the violence experienced made them afraid of their welfare, and now the

national integration which was the main objective of the council could not be reached as the two

races turned antagonistic to one another. For instance, in 1963, it is said that Ku Klux Klan

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organized violence in Mississippi meant to harm African Americans. Numerous assassinations

were experienced during this time, beatings, church bombings as well as cross-burnings. For

example, a journalist namely Jerry Mitchell reporting the incidents of Klansmen in Mississippi

once said, “Eighty individuals have been beaten mercilessly by Klansmen, more than thirty-five

shot, while six have been killed. Besides, Mississippians' churches of those people associated with

civil rights movements have been blown-up. Lastly, the businesses and homes of civil rights

activists have been firebombed, undertakings that have been characterized by the massive

destruction of property, not to mention the loss of innocent lives (Donnor, 2018).” From this

prospect, Mitchell has shown the world how horrible the situation was in Mississippi in the 1960s,

which is also reflected by the film in our context.

Determination is such an essential factor in bringing the needed change in society, and this

is what civil rights activists always upheld. As a result, in the late and mid-1960s important

victories were scored by the civil rights movement despite the above horrific figures. Again, other

significant achievements among the blacks were experienced during the 1960s despite the racial

discrimination experienced. For instance, in 1965 what came to be referred to as Voting Rights

Act was ratified and, thus, the blacks’ political power increased remarkably making the whites to

feel threatened (Donnor, 2018). Again, it is during 1964 that the Civil Rights Act was passed which

had overwhelming protections as it outlined the freedoms and the rights that were to be granted to

everyone regardless of their socioeconomic status. For example, the freedom of expression,

worship, and speech was brought into reality, which hitherto had been an unheard thing in the

community. For the first time, people could speak their minds without anyone interfering with

their freedom provided; they did not violate other people's rights in their attempt to express the

liberty guaranteed by the US Constitution. Even though whites were virulent compared to the

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African Americans, anti-segregation laws ratified made them stop what scholars have called

“horrific activities” meant to harm the blacks. By 1920s, historians report that Klan was unknown

hard-liner segregationist. Further, scholars attest that Klan’s contribution to the whites’ supremacy

is not recognized and amounts to nothing compared to young McDaniel who was inspired by the

Ole' Miss crisis to wage war against civil rights activists (Donnor, 2018).

McDaniel is said to have dropped from school, growing up in a poverty-stricken family

where he was forced by the situation to terminate his studies and help the family place bread on

the table. Thus, this young fellow got himself into a driving job where he was making deliveries

in Louisiana more often. While working as a driver of a truck, McDaniel met a friend who is said

to have introduced him into hard-liner segregationists’ activities which up to then had been led by

Ku Klux Klan. McDaniel as historians affirm worked devotedly and with determination and built

what came to be referred to as UKA (United Klans of America) and became its Grand Dragon.

Though this movement condemned all forms of violence and fraud, historians argued that secretly

they condoned violence. However, divisions were inevitable as Klan formed his movement which

has been reported not only to had been more secretive than United Klans of American led by

McDaniel but also more deadly. As one of the sociologists attests, the White Knights of KKK was

such a notorious movement that it often killed in daylight (Donnor, 2018). Regardless of the terror

associated with these two groups, civil rights activists continued to press for a positive change in

Mississippi. Some of the recognized civil rights activists during those time included and not limited

to the chaplain at College of Tougaloo, white Methodist minister Ed King among others. Going

back in our film, conflicts bring Skeeter, Minny, and Aibaileen into unity as they fight for a positive

change.

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Historians say that the year 1964-68, was a period of intense confrontation of emanating

racial discrimination, the time upon which some people accommodated a change of the existing

social order, overwhelming terrorism from the Klan and his extremities as well as significant

victories among the black race. After Lyndon Johnson won the presidential election in 1964 by a

landslide, in North and West during the superseding years, violence broke out (Donnor, 2018).

However, thanks to the Voting Act and Civil Rights Act of 1964 as they buried to some extent, the

segregation which was attached to the Jim Crow Legislation.

Looking at the ‘The Help' film of Tate Tylor derived from a novel written by Kathryn

Stockett, struggle meant to eradicate racial segregation in the society is manifested. The three

women in the film portray the life of blacks in a discriminative society of Mississippi (Lewis,

2015). At first, the author of the novel feared to publish the novel until when she met Tate Tylor,

who requested her to trust him with his book. In other words, the book carried a dangerous idea

with it, and this made the writer spent a good time thinking about how to publish it. To shed some

light here, the novel through black maids, showed how African Americans were subjected to

segregation in a country that they had fought relentlessly for her independence from the hands of

colonists. The author uses Aibileen Clark, who is a black maid and said to had a tragic past which

has made her remain silent in most of her time (Lewis, 2015). Again, we have the Minny Jackson,

who is also a maid with a terrible secret and a sharp-tongued. Nevertheless, what inspired the

writer is the silent-Demetrie who was a maid from the blacks and spent the better part of his life

nurturing and taking care of the children while his past remained an impasse to many people. To

express what Demetrie was passing through, Stockett developed the character as mentioned above

(Aibileen) (Lewis, 2015). In other words, Kathryn Stockett uses the experiences of the maids to

show how African Americans have been subjected to racial segregation. Therefore, the characters

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in both the film and the novel represent the relationship between the blacks and whites in

Mississippi and the vast United States. In other words, it ought to be noted that what was being

experienced in Jackson as per the film, is a replica of what the whole United States’ society has

been facing.

Chapter 2: Introduction

To commence with, Crenshaw who is a legal scholar has argued that despite the existence

of clauses that address what he has referred to as racism and sexism, the black woman has been

rendered by this framework to be without any legal discourse as well as ‘invisible’ in the face of

the law. The scholar goes ahead to note that the discrimination towards black women is so rampant

where they are not only segregated because they are blacks but also because they are women and

regarded as inferior. The scholar, in our context, brought the concept of intersectionality, which

encompasses all forms of oppression that black slave women face in the hands of whites (Donnor,

2018). However, since the time immemorial, many academicians have tried to explain what black

women have been undergoing. For instance, statements such as triple jeopardy, double jeopardy

as well as interlocking oppressions have been used to express the segregation that women among

the African Americans have been facing. Crenshaw, like the other Black feminists, refers to the

speech delivered in Akron in Women's Convention, which summarized what the black woman was

passing through in the hands of white housewives. The speech which was delivered by Sojourner

shows how black slave woman carried heavy cartridges on her back, planted and ploughed as well

as sired many sons only to be sold to slavery (Donnor, 2018). She goes ahead to say that despite

his cries, no one has assisted him and thinks that only Jesus will intervene in her problems.

Additionally, the scholar challenges antiracist and feminist theory arguing that they rarely address

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the oppressions faced by the black women as they seem to be more concerned with the white

women than the latter.

During the 1990s, a book known as ‘In Black Feminist Though’ was published, which

outlined what women had been undergoing (Donnor, 2018). The book reported that black women

had been being assigned heavy cleaning chores and often treated as ‘mules.’ Again, from this

article, it is evident that black women are forced to live their kids in daycare facilities to attend

those of the white housewives. As a result, the author of the text in our context worries if such

white mothers are really good bearing in mind that good mothers should always spend most of

their time nurturing children. Besides, before the 1960s, that is early as 1930s, National

Association for Domestic workers was used to air the grievances of the black maids who were

working under harsh conditions in white housewives' families. For example, in 1934, this union

complained of the low wage of $3.50 that was paid to a maid in a week. Thus, the association

requested the government to intervene and assist the black maids in getting salaries that could help

them support their families (Donnor, 2018). Again, a letter was sent to Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt,

requiring her to intervene and create awareness of the low wages that were paid maids despite

being attached to many back-breaking chores.

Unfortunately, within a short period, the NRA (National Recovery Administration) which

had been at the forefront in fighting racial oppressions and making working conditions for all

workers conducive, was banned and declared illegitimate. Further, despite the formation of WPA

(Workers Progress Administration) by the government to improve the working conditions of

domestic workers from the black race, wage ascertained to black women working in white

housewives’ homes remained to profoundly low. In other words, black women's service continued

to be defined by low wages (Donnor, 2018). All these forms of oppression made Kathryn Stockett

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write ‘The Help' which addressed the devastating conditions experienced by black women in

homes of white housewives.

In the film, black women work for long hours until they are exhausted to the point of their

fingers developing sores and turning bloody as well as stinging eyes. Furthermore, Hilly Holbrook

being a wife of a prominent politician comes up with an initiative requiring all the black employees

to build their toilets for she believed that they carried with them contagious morbidities (Lloyd,

2018). In other words, Holbrook throughout the novel makes life difficult for blacks. However,

this is an implication of interlocking oppressions earlier mentioned whom many scholars and civil

rights activities in Mississippi rose to challenge.

2.1 Holbrook and Her Mistreatment to Blacks together with Other White-

Skinned Women

Hilly Holbrook in the novel is one of the characters that portray how racial segregation is

manifested among the Mississippians of Jackson (Lewis, 2015). Being married to a politician,

namely William Holbrook, Hilly has an overwhelming autonomy and uses her powers to

discriminate others racially. As a result, she gets herself into conflict with Skeeter, Aibaileen, and

Minny more often. From a mere look, the author says that one can mistake Holbrook for a good

person. For example, being the president of so-called Jacksons Junior League, Holbrook often

participates in charity works and, thus, she is one of the individuals who have volunteered to offer

food aid to the starving African children. From this prospect, one can judge that the woman is of

credit and merit (Lewis, 2015). Nevertheless, looking at how Hilly Holbrook once responded to a

woman who had asked why they do not prefer sending money, one would then know the real

Holbrook. In her response to the question posed by this woman, Hilly Holbrook did say that there

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was no Jitney 14 in the Ogaden Desert and tribal people cannot be given money (Lewis, 2015).

The woman went ahead to state that when the people of African were perhaps given the money,

they can go ahead to use it for superstitious purposes and leave their children to starve to death.

From this description of Africans by Hilly Holbrook, this is a race that encompasses individuals

who cannot make any intelligent decisions, not even when their children are starving. Again, from

Holbrook’s compliment, we can see how she is ignorant towards the traditions of African

Americans as she guesses that when these people are given money can go ahead to use it in evil

ways such as tattoos portraying their wicked dogmas.

Besides, the woman goes ahead to say that Africans in Jacksons spend their money

carelessly and are extremely lazy (Lewis, 2015). Hilly Holbrook also says that since Africans do

not know how to spend their money and are lazy, they are supposed not to be paid a single penny.

In other words, Hilly Holbrook is a racist who is supporting the starving children from the black

race to hide her real self. Holbrook is a villain, and one can realize this when he or she noses around

her affairs. In the film, it is evident that crossing Holbrook in any way can make one send behind

bars, make one's acquaintances and family lose employment as well as a result to repossession of

individual’s property. However, when all these things are happening, one will not even suspect

Holbrook to be involved in one way or the other.

Further, Holbrook was after passing bills that require the Africans in Jacksons to build their

toilets as she believes that people of this races contract contagious diseases (Lloyd, 2018). Again,

in the film which I earlier stated to have been framed from Kathryn Stockett’s novel ‘The Help’

by Tate Tylor, Hilly Holbrook accuses Aibaileen of stealing silver from her which she does to

harass as she hates African Americans remarkably (Lewis, 2015). On the other hand, we see

Elizabeth firing Aibaileen though later on, this woman begins to see things from a broad

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 20

perspective. Elizabeth withdraws the charges of Aibaileen, and this shows how, to some extent,

she understood that blacks are humans and deserve respect.

2.2 Way of Seeing White Society and Behavior Black Maids in Relation to Them

The film Help is a movie that has been transformed from the original source material novel

by Kathryn Stockett Help from pages into the screen. Both the movie and the source material share

not only the same name but also numerous themes that revolve around the lives of the black

American maids working for the white employers ((Taylor et al., 2012). The story is recorded

around Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s. The movie Help revolves around the lives and the views

of Aibillen Clark, Phelan, Eugenia (Skeeter) and Minny Jackson. Skeeter is a young white lady

who has always desired to be a writer, and her great breakthrough came when she was offered a

chance to transcribe the horrifying experiences of the black maids in Jackson. It is evident that all

the maids had a chance to interact with the whites as their employers in one way or the other. The

movie depicts a racist culture that the black maids have to struggle and fight in order to survive

and take care of their families. In this regard, there exists a great rift between the lives of the whites

and the black as shown by the maids through their shared experience to Skeeter (Taylor et al.,

2012). the heightened level of racism in Jackson made the lives of the maids unbearable through

the mistreatments they would receive from their white employers.

In most of the interactions of Skeeter and the black maids, their experiences evidently show

a racist culture that suppressed the blacks as they interacted with the whites. The black maids were

often unappreciated of their contributions by their white employers and often disrespected in the

way they were treated in their master houses (Sinabariba, 2017). The black maids received very

little wages that were deplorable in comparison with the work they did in these households. The

black maids were the one who was tasked with raising their white employer's children without the

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 21

input of the white parents. This role was assigned to them despite the fact that the black people

were stereotyped as lazy, dirty, and disease-ridden and possessing very little intelligence than the

average white person possessed. There were also strong racial lines that were well represented

between the blacks and the whites that were viewed as normal, and people were expected to respect

that disparity. In the movie, these distinctions are showed to be a dangerous path to try to challenge

their stereotyping in the lines that put a distinction between the citizens in the country in regard to

their skin color. In the movie, people who tried to cross these lines and try to dissolute the lines

were taken lightly and their ideas opposed by many who considered the racial lines a necessity

(Taylor et al., 2012). Some of these reformers who tried to challenge these lines included Skeeter

who tried to transform the residents of Jackson’s perception against the Black people. This move

was however received with great resistance to the extent of her being regarded as insane for

indulging in such an “outrageous” undertaking as was perceived by the Whites.

The society of the Whites and the Blacks was one racist society that created the segregation

of the two racial groups. In this regard, this society created great discrimination against the blacks

as there were now provisions of different amenities for the whites and the blacks. For instance, the

amenities that were designated for the blacks were of substandard quality and state than those that

were utilized by the white people. The movie, for instance, depicts a certain character by the name

Hilly who embarked on an initiative to obstruct the black people from utilizing and accessing the

washrooms that were situated inside the houses of their employers. Instead, there was a provision

for the white employers to build the blacks toilets far from their houses for the black's use. In

response to Hilly’s remark, Skeeter is reported to have retorted that they should also make toilets

outside also for the whites to use a comment that surprised the black ladies who sat around a table

as they could not comprehend how a white could come to their defense.

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 22

The extent of the great segregation in this society of Jackson is something that has been

defended by proponents in the society as a means through which the Blacks and the Whites are

kept separate as the white regarded and believed that the blacks had illnesses and could not be

allowed to use the same facilities as the Whites (Sinabariba, 2017). Regardless of the loud outcry

of Skeeter against this form of racism that yielded to this menace of segregation, this provision to

draw coloured lines between the Whites and the Blacks were supported and also advocated by the

Mississippi surgeon general and Governor. In this connection the film depicts a black maid being

fired as she had committed an “atrocity” of using a toilet within her white employer's house and

not abiding by the segregation provision of using their set aside toilets. Moreover, despite the

segregation rule that weighed heavily on the black maids in their white employer's houses, they

were also subjected to great mistreatment in the house as they carried on with their daily duties.

The black maids were perceived as inferior and people who could not make informed decisions on

their own. The white employers in these residents would normally scold them and would not

appreciate their efforts in their work around the house. This was mistreatment, and ungrateful

attitude was reflected through the low wages that these black maids were paid that could not even

cater to their family needs.

The black maids in the film are depicted as people of good moral who regardless of the

injustice they received they always did their duties diligently and ensured that they give their all.

This is evident through Aibileen work as a maid in a white employer house. She is depicted as a

caring maid that is kind hearted who has a great love for children. Despite the adversaries that

befall their work, she is always ready to teach good morals to the children, she takes care of and

aspires that they will be people of good standing. The black maids depict American society as a

society that oppresses its minors and takes advantage of those that are weak. The atrocities of the

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 23

black maids that they were reluctant to express to Skeeter illustrated how the weak are afraid to

rise against their oppressor and fight for equality and a voice in society (Taylor et al., 2012). Unlike

the accommodating culture of the Blacks displayed by their goodwill deeds in teaching children

the correct behavior, the Whites employers are arrogant individuals who take everything for

granted and never appreciates the effort of those below their social class. Thus, the white's society

tries to justify their exploitations and emotional abuse towards the Black maids as a normal

occurrence through their perception that the whites are fundamentally superior to the blacks.

Additionally, American society depicts the African-Americans as figuratively and often dirty

people who are predisposed to moral depravity and diseases that are not for the whites. The white

society is seen as a segregation society where its women indulge in social practices that promote

institutional separation of the Blacks and Whites grounded in Jim Crow-era Law. This is evident

in instances where the White employers do not allow their Black maids to lay a hand on them, sit

at their chairs, or share food with them. These daily activities in the Jackson society dehumanize

the black maids making it easy for the white housewives to exploit and mistreat the maids.

2.3 Upbringing of White Children by Main Maid Characters Aibileen Clark and

Minny Jackson

The upbringing of white children in this racist society by the black maids is a

difficult experience for Aibileen and Minny who are constantly mistreated by the white

housewives. The black maids in Jackson are the ones tasked with the role of raising children

despite their association with inferiority. The black maids in this society interact with the child’s

need requirement and development as their parents show little concern about their child

development (Gale, 2016). The Jackson society depicts the white housewives as child bears who

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 24

lack the quality of motherhood. In this racist society, the black maids play the role of motherhood

in bringing up moral people in society who possess great personal morals. Through the children

that the black maids help in bringing up, it is evident that racism is not inherent to human nature

but rather passed on from one generation to the other through education means. In the film, the

children here are "colorblind" to a certain extent; they fail to form any form of racial prejudice

concerning the black maids who take care of them. From Aibileen experience having raised

eighteen white children, the children only start to form racial differences when they are fed on the

hatred that exists between the racial groups (Gale, 2016). When the parents and teachers draw the

racial lines to children, this is the time that the racist attitude develops and prevails in children.

The development of the racist attitude can be depicted form an incident where Mae a white child

who draws her own picture using a black crayon is scolded by her teacher who asserts that the

black people are unclean and that she should use a white crayon so as people should not perceive

her as dirty (The help, 67.2). The children in American society as depicted by the film are exposed

to this form of racism by the grownups, particularly the parents and teachers. In maintaining the

racial superiority by the whites, the children are exposed to huge inheritances as they assume to be

superior to the African American. In Aibileen upbringing of her white employer’s children, she is

caring to the child, for instance, Mae who she teaches morals and hopes that she becomes a morally

upright person. Aibileen is a loving maid who possesses all the qualities of motherhood. Aibileen

is caring for Moe as her parents care little to her emotional needs (Taylor et al., 2012). Aibileen is

a mother figure who is determined to teach white children how to be important people in society

through the care she provides. Additionally, she is depicted as a committed mother who is

determined and focused on offering the best in her motherly work in cleaning, feeding, and

toileting these kids. She wakes up early in the morning to take care of the kids even before their

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 25

parents are awake (Gale, 2016). In a society that racism is so prevalent, the upbringing of the white

children is something that requires great patient and the will to continue working in an environment

that is full of ridicule. Aibileen has mastered the art of patience and is seen to be patient in his

employment with the white employer's. Despite the misfortunes that befall her, she does not turn

to express her anger to the children but maintains her anger (FMovies, 2019). She even tries to

distract the children from unpleasant experiences that they witness that make them feel bad and

start to cry by making them feel good again. Minny Jackson is also a mother figure in this racist

society who displays an outspoken personality that contrasts with Aibileen. Her mouth usually

gets her into trouble with the white housewives when she tries to air her voice out on her

displeasures or things that she does not agree to. She is a mother figure who is quick-tempered

and cares for the children that she rises. In her employment with Miss Hilly, she is a tipping end

when this woman spreads racist rumors concerning her, but she is determined to care for her family

and children.

2.4. Support for African American Maids’ from Journalist Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan and

Celia Rae Foote.

The African-American maid in their adversaries that have been exacerbated by racism has

received considerable help from various people in Jackson. Some of these vital players that have

turned against the expected norm of their society include Skeeter and Celia (Sinabariba, 2017).

These women have been in the forefront to ensure that the rights of the Black African-American

are heard and this vice addressed to ensure that the blacks are viewed as equal with the whites

(FMovies, 2019). Skeeter intends to assist the black people by exposing the vices that they are

subjected to through a book she intends to write that will entail all the experiences of these black

maids. However, this move is met will challenges such as the fear and dangers of the civil rights

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 26

that ensure that the whites and the blacks assume their rightful places. This risk is something that

keeps many of the black maids from indulging in meetings with the journalist and expresses their

experiences in their white master's houses. Skeeter embarks on treating the black maids as her

equals as she realizes it's the only way she could have them open up on their experiences which

help in building trust and hope for the black maids in Jackson. She is also at the forefront of

defending the rights in the community (Sinabariba, 2017). For instance, she retracts on a statement

to have black maids build toilets away from the white settlements a move that amuses the black

maids as they have never seen a white defend them. Skeeter holds different believes regarding the

racial segregation and in turn, is willing to expose all the violations that the whites subject back

maids through her book. Skeeter support to the black African-American maids is something that

these maids appreciate and are amazed at how Skeeter is different from her fellow Whites. In this

regard, Skeeter and Aibileen form a deeper relationship that results in them becoming great allies

who share their view as equals (Taylor et al., 2012). They indulge in learning more about each

other which creates a strong bond between them as Skeeter realizes the true meaning of being a

black maid through Aibileen revelation of the things they go through in the white housewives’

houses. Skeeter is moved and realizes that her own friends and family that subjects these black

maids to such atrocities of which they cannot rise. As black maid agrees to give their encounter

concerning their experiences working for the whites Skeeter is able to comprehend the true

conditions of the lives of the black maids and is determined to fight for their rights by enlightening

the Jackson community against abolishing the racial segregation.

Skeeter although a great friend to Hill and Elizabeth is unwilling to stand and watch

them humiliate and exploit the Black maids. She becomes labeled an outcast of the community as

she defends the blacks against the high-society white women whom she interacted with. As the

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 27

white community churns her away for sympathizing with the blacks, the black society embraces

her although not openly as they fear civil rights (Sinabariba, 2017). Though the publication of her

book, she is able to expose the social, legal, and political forces that continuously allow the use of

abuses to be rampant in Jackson.

Moreover, another integral character that plays a crucial role in supporting the black

maids is Celia Rae Foote. Celia is a newcomer in Jackson who was desperately seeking for

accommodation into the high-society class of the whites but is most times neglected and

unwelcomed as she is married to Hilly’s ex-boyfriend. Minny is employed by Celia so that her

husband does not discover her lack of woman skill. In the movie, Celia is a representation of

growth and initiation in Jackson (FMovies, 2019). Her continued interaction with Minny

enlightens her of the blacks' adversaries, and she becomes a great friend and confidant to Minny.

Minny at first is a skeptic but soon realizes the goodwill of Celia and is accommodative. In this

regard, Celia is depicted as a kind and respectful woman in Jackson who treats the black maid with

utmost respect and consideration (Taylor et al., 2012). Through their friendship with Minny,

Skeeter learns to exert less weight on the society's expectation, and she realizes that the white

women in Jackson are not worth of her degradation. The two white women in the film Help play

a fundamental role in creating hope for the black maids in a time where racial segregation was

prevalent. They help in creating a smile in the African-American society through their

contributions in exposing the white’s vices and making the blacks realize that not all the whites

considered them inferior.

Conclusion

In brief, the film Help is a true reflection of how racism permeates most aspects of the social life

from laws like Jim Crow Laws that yielded discrimination and segregation as the customary law

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 28

to the casual conversations among the Whites and the Blacks. It also represents how the Whites

justified their ill-treatment of the Blacks in their employment interaction. The help not only depicts

how Jackson was a racially segregated country but also shows how black maids suffered in the

hands of their White employees. Additionally, the help is a clear indication that racism is not

inherent to human nature but imposed by human intent through education and beliefs among

people from one generation to the other. Similarly, the film also shows the struggle of various

revolutionists try to fight this racism or in some ways refuse to engage in its perpetuation through

enacting channels of honesty and empathy communication through the color lines.

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM ‘THE HELP’ 29

References

Donnor, J. K., (2018). Negrophobia, Segregation, and the Legacy of White Resistance to Black

Education in Mississippi. Understanding Critical Race Research Methods and

Methodologies: Lessons from the Field.

FMovies. (2019). Watch The Help (2011) Online Full Movie – FMovies. [online] Available at:

https://ww3.fmovieson.com/movies/the-help-2011-free-1/ [Accessed 21 May 2019].

Gale, C. L., (2016). A Study Guide for Kathyrn Stockett's" The Help." Gale Cengage Learning.

Goldberg, D. T., (2016). Racial subjects: Writing on race in America. Routledge.

Lewis, A., (2015). The Help. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 27(2), 93-95.

Lloyd, C. (2018). The Home of Jim Crow: Toilets and Matter in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. In

Corporeal Legacies in the US South (pp. 107-137). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Sinabariba, L. M. (2017). RACIAL CONFLICT BETWEEN THE MISTRESSES AND AFRO

AMERICAN MAIDS IN TATE TYLOR’S THE HELP (Doctoral dissertation, Diponegoro

University).

Taylor, Tate, et al. The help. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2012.

Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Racism and the Press. Routledge.

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