ABSTRACT
Laksmidea, Christina Eka. 2015. An Analysis of Skeeter Phelan’s Intentions in Writing a Book as Seen in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. Yogyakarta: Sanata
Dharma University.
This thesis analyzed Skeeter Phelan’s intention in writing a book as seen in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. Skeeter Phelan is an egalitarian white American who writes a book about African American maids’ experiences in working for white families.
In this thesis, there are three research problems. The first is how the character of Skeeter Phelan depicted in The Help. The second is what the social and historical condition regarding African American discrimination that encourages Skeeter’s decision to write the book is. The third is what the possible intentions of Skeeter Phelan in writing the book as seen in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help are. This thesis was conducted in order to find out possible intentions of Skeeter who is white American in writing a book about African American.
This thesis used library research to gather the data. It used the theory of character, characterization, and author’s intention. Socio-historical approach was applied in this thesis to get the information about the life of white American society and African American community in 1960s. This information was important to reveal the intentions of Skeeter Phelan.
The findings of this thesis are concluded as follows. First, the characteristic of Skeeter Phelan is described as egalitarian, hard-working, brave, and determined. Second, a lot of racial discrimination and laws that exist in her town make her want to do something to change her society into a better place. Third, her intentions in writing the book are to express her love to Constantine, to help African Americans maid to get a better life by speaking the truth in her book, and to pursue her own career to become a writer in New York.
ABSTRAK
Laksmidea, Christina Eka (2015). An analysis of Skeeter Phelan’s Intentions
in Writing a Book as Seen in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisis maksud dari Skeeter Phelan dalam menulis sebuah buku seperti yang dilihat dalam novel The Help yang ditulis oleh Kathryn Stockett. Skeeter Phelan adalah seorang egalitarian Amerika berkulit putih yang menulis buku tentang pengalaman-pengalaman para pembantu rumah tangga dari ras Afrika Amerika yang bekerja pada keluarga Amerika kulit putih.
Di dalam skripsi ini terdapat tiga rumusan masalah. Yang pertama adalah bagaimana karakter seorang Skeeter Phelan digambarkan dalam novel The Help. Yang kedua adalah apa kondisi segi sosial dan sejarah mengenai diskriminasi terhadap orang-orang Afrika Amerika yang mendorong keputusan Skeeter untuk menulis buku. Yang ketiga adalah apa saja maksud dari Skeeter Phelan menulis buku, seperti yang dilihat dari novel The Help yang ditulis oleh Kathryn Stockett. Skripsi ini ditulis dengan tujuan mencari maksud dari Skeeter yang merupakan seorang Amerika berkulit putih yang menulis tentang orang Afrika Amerika.
Skripsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka untuk mengumpulkan data. Teori yang digunakan adalah teori karakter, karakterisasi, dan maksud penulis. Pendekatan sosial dan sejarah diaplikasikan dalam skripsi ini untuk mendapatkan informasi tentang kehidupan kalangan Amerika kulit putih dan komunitas Afrika Amerika di tahun 1960-an. Informasi ini penting untuk mengungkap maksud dari Skeeter Phelan.
Temuan - temuan dari skripsi ini disimpulkan sebagai berikut. Pertama, karakteristik Skeeter Phelan dideskripsikan sebagai seorang egalitarian, pekerja keras, berani, dan bertekad bulat. Kedua, banyaknya diskriminasi menyangkut ras dan hukun yang muncul di kotanya membuatnya ingin melakukan sesuatu untuk merubah lingkungan masyarakatnya menjadi tempat yang lebih baik. Ketiga, maksudnya dalam menulis buku adalah untuk mengekspresikan cintanya kepada Constantine, untuk membantu para pembantu kalangan Afrika – Amerika untuk mendapatkan hidup yang lebih baik dengan cara menceritakan kebenaran melalui bukunya, dan juga mengejar karirnya sendiri untuk menjadi seorang penulis di New York.
i
AN ANALYSIS OF SKEETER PHELAN’S INTENTIONS
IN WRITING A BOOK AS SEEN
IN KATHRYN STOCKETT’S
THE HELP
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Christina Eka Laksmidea Student Number: 101214062
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
iv
DEDICATION PAGE
I dedicate this thesis to my Mother, my Grandmother,
my future self &
to all strong and independent women out there who are willing to survive and dare to make a change.
---
I WRITE FOR THOSE WOMEN,
WHO DO NOT SPEAK,
FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE A VOICE
BECAUSE THEY WERE SO TERRIFIED, BECAUSE
WE ARE TAUGHT TO RESPECT FEAR MORE THAN
OURSELVES.
WE'VE BEEN TAUGHT THAT SILENCE WOULD
SAVE US, BUT IT WON'T.
vii ABSTRACT
Laksmidea, Christina Eka. 2015. An Analysis of Skeeter Phelan’s Intentions
in Writing a Book as Seen in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis analyzed Skeeter Phelan‘s intention in writing a book as seen in
Kathryn Stockett‘s The Help. Skeeter Phelan is an egalitarian white American
who writes a book about African American maids‘ experiences in working for white families.
In this thesis, there are three research problems. The first is how the character of Skeeter Phelan depicted in The Help. The second is what the social and historical condition regarding African American discrimination that
encourages Skeeter‘s decision to write the book is. The third is what the possible
intentions of Skeeter Phelan in writing the book as seen in Kathryn Stockett‘s The
Help are. This thesis was conducted in order to find out possible intentions of Skeeter who is white American in writing a book about African American.
This thesis used library research to gather the data. It used the theory of
character, characterization, and author‘s intention. Socio-historical approach was
applied in this thesis to get the information about the life of white American society and African American community in 1960s. This information was important to reveal the intentions of Skeeter Phelan.
The findings of this thesis are concluded as follows. First, the characteristic of Skeeter Phelan is described as egalitarian, hard-working, brave, and determined. Second, a lot of racial discrimination and laws that exist in her town make her want to do something to change her society into a better place. Third, her intentions in writing the book are to express her love to Constantine, to help African Americans maid to get a better life by speaking the truth in her book, and to pursue her own career to become a writer in New York.
viii ABSTRAK
Laksmidea, Christina Eka (2015). An analysis of Skeeter Phelan’s Intentions
in Writing a Book as Seen in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisis maksud dari Skeeter Phelan dalam menulis sebuah buku seperti yang dilihat dalam novel The Help yang ditulis oleh Kathryn Stockett. Skeeter Phelan adalah seorang egalitarian Amerika berkulit putih yang menulis buku tentang pengalaman-pengalaman para pembantu rumah tangga dari ras Afrika Amerika yang bekerja pada keluarga Amerika kulit putih.
Di dalam skripsi ini terdapat tiga rumusan masalah. Yang pertama adalah bagaimana karakter seorang Skeeter Phelan digambarkan dalam novel The Help. Yang kedua adalah apa kondisi segi sosial dan sejarah mengenai diskriminasi terhadap orang-orang Afrika Amerika yang mendorong keputusan Skeeter untuk menulis buku. Yang ketiga adalah apa saja maksud dari Skeeter Phelan menulis buku, seperti yang dilihat dari novel The Help yang ditulis oleh Kathryn Stockett. Skripsi ini ditulis dengan tujuan mencari maksud dari Skeeter yang merupakan seorang Amerika berkulit putih yang menulis tentang orang Afrika Amerika.
Skripsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka untuk mengumpulkan data. Teori yang digunakan adalah teori karakter, karakterisasi, dan maksud penulis. Pendekatan sosial dan sejarah diaplikasikan dalam skripsi ini untuk mendapatkan informasi tentang kehidupan kalangan Amerika kulit putih dan komunitas Afrika Amerika di tahun 1960-an. Informasi ini penting untuk mengungkap maksud dari Skeeter Phelan.
Temuan - temuan dari skripsi ini disimpulkan sebagai berikut. Pertama, karakteristik Skeeter Phelan dideskripsikan sebagai seorang egalitarian, pekerja keras, berani, dan bertekad bulat. Kedua, banyaknya diskriminasi menyangkut ras dan hukun yang muncul di kotanya membuatnya ingin melakukan sesuatu untuk merubah lingkungan masyarakatnya menjadi tempat yang lebih baik. Ketiga, maksudnya dalam menulis buku adalah untuk mengekspresikan cintanya kepada Constantine, untuk membantu para pembantu kalangan Afrika – Amerika untuk mendapatkan hidup yang lebih baik dengan cara menceritakan kebenaran melalui bukunya, dan juga mengejar karirnya sendiri untuk menjadi seorang penulis di New York.
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank Jesus Christ for His guidance and blessing to me so I did not give up on myself. He is the spirit of my life and He works in a magical way that I have the chance to finish my study. He is the one who gives me all the good luck from the very beginning.
I am also very thankful to my sponsor, FX. Ouda Teda Ena, S.Pd., M.Pd., Ed.D. for his time, guidance and endless patience in supporting me to finish my thesis. This thesis would not be completed without his effective feedback and encouraging comments.
My greatest gratitude goes to my parents, my beloved mother whose unconditional love always gives me strength to live, Clara Tyas Agustina, who always is the one I can count on every single time, and my father, Heribertus Lilik Haryanto, who always supports me with his best effort. I also give my greatest gratitude to my loving grandmother, Setyasmi, who always says my name in her prayer 5 times a day, or even more, and for her patience and hope of attending her first grandchild graduation, the first university graduate in our family. I would like to thank them, who always proud of me, for being the biggest motivation in every step I take. There is no word can describe how grateful I am to have them in my life.
x
not help at all, yet his absolute presence in some ways makes this thesis very important to be finished. My special gratitude goes to my friends, Anin and Siwi, for their existence and patience in answering my random questions in the middle of the night, and also to Mbak Nay, Ratih, Tika Galin, Sani, and Fenty for the support and companion during my study in PBI. I also thank Velum members, Amel, Tiwi, Disa, Ijah, Maki, Nud, Inem, Ratri, Pandhu, Kapuk, Gallang, Yoga, and Bondan, for the joyful and happy memories we created together.
I also thank my little brother, Christian Theo Dwi Hartono, and my little sister, Chresentia Thelya Trianandha for not disturbing me when I wrote this thesis. Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone who supported and encouraged me to finish this thesis. May God bless them all.
xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
DEDICATION PAGE ... iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ... vi
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 7
A. Review of the Related Studies ... 7
B. Review of Related Theories ... 9
1. Theory of Character ... 9
2. Theory of Characterization ... 10
3. Author‘s Intention ... 12
C. Review of the Socio-Historical Background ... 15
1. Civil Rights Movement ... 15
2. Women‘s Role in Southern American Society ... 18
xii
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ... 21
A. Object of the Study ... 21
B. Approach of the Study ... 23
C. Method of the Study ... 23
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ... 26
A. The Character Analysis of Skeeter Phelan ... 26
B. Socio-Historical Analysis of Skeeter Phelan‘s Life ... 35
C. Skeeter Phelan‘s Intention in Writing a Book ... 41
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ... 45
A. Conclusions ... 45
B. Implications ... 46
C. Recommendations ... 47
REFERENCES ... 49
xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: Summary of Kathryn Stockett‘s The Help ... 52
APPENDIX B: Biography of Kathryn Stockett ... 55
APPENDIX C: Lesson Plan for Teaching Prose ... 58
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The writer divides this chapter into five parts, namely background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms. In background of the study, the writer describes the topic, gives reasons for choosing the topic and why the topic is worth studying. In the problem formulation, the writer presents the formulation of the problem in the form of questions. The objectives of the study state clearly about the problem formulation as an objective in a paragraph. The benefit of the study is to explain the contribution of this study to the development of knowledge. The last part is definition of terms, which specifically explains the key terms to avoid misunderstanding.
A. Background of the Study
functions is to ―relieve us – either writers or readers – from the pressure of
emotions‖ (p.36). The literary works are written to burn the spirit of their people to make a change. Racial discrimination is a problematic issue and it is related to a lot of people from different societies. Moreover, discrimination against African American is a sensitive matter because it is related to the long history of slavery and human rights. Writing about racial discrimination in the form of literary work, the writer needs to be fully aware of the specific social and political condition.
It is a specific evaluative criterion to say that an author should express the life of his own time fully, that he should be ‗representative‘ of his age and society. Beside, of course, the terms ‗fully‘ and ‗representative‘ require much interpretation: in most social criticism they seem to mean that an author should be aware of specific social situations, e.g. of the plight of the proletariat, or even that he should share a specific and ideology of the critic (Wellek & Warren, 1949, p.95).
According to Wellek and Warren (1949), it is crucial that the writer should be representative to be able to write the truth concerning social and historical facts.
A novel entitled The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett which was published in 2009, many years after the oppression era, is chosen to be the main object of this study. The Help is a fictional novel written by Kathryn Stockett, a white American woman. The novel tells the life of African American maids working for white families in Mississippi, in 1962 during the Civil Rights Movement. It is written in multiple narrations, two African American maids named Aibileen and Minny, and one white American woman named Eugenia
‗Skeeter‘ Phelan. Those three women are about to make a book entitled Help
and segregation against African American in Mississippi at that time, writing a book like this was highly risky and very dangerous action. So, they worked in secret, changed all the names in the story and published it as anonymous.
Skeeter and Stockett, they both have a few things in common as an author. They write as they speak in African American voice while they are not even the representative or member of the society. There are critics who say that writing African American characters from the first person point of view is crossing the line. The writer wants to find out why Skeeter would put herself in danger and take all the risks to write such thing when she does not have to. Skeeter has another choice to live her prosper life peacefully without writing about African Americans but she does not take it. The writer wants to know what bother Skeeter so much that she feels like she has to write about the certain topic. Goodman (1996) states that ―it is crucial in reading literature that we are truly critical, that we look for potential problems and points of contention as well as considering the most successful aspects of any text, or simply celebrating an author‘s reputation‖ (p.146).
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the background, the writer formulates the problem of the study into three questions:
1. How is the character Eugenia ‗Skeeter‘ Phelan depicted in The Help? 2. What is the social and historical condition regarding African American
3. What are the possible intentions of Eugenia ‗Skeeter‘ Phelan in writing Help
as seen in Kathryn Stockett‘sThe Help?
C. Objectives of the Study
The objective of this study is to find out the possible intentions of Skeeter Phelan in writing Help as seen in Kathryn Stockett‘s The Help. To answer the problems, the writer analyzes the character of Skeeter Phelan as depicted in the novel. The writer also studies the social and historical background of the setting to reveal the situation regarding African American discrimination that encourages Skeeter Phelan‘s decision to write the book.
D. Benefits of the Study
The benefits of this study for future researchers is to give them additional information about the intention of Eugenia ‗Skeeter‘ Phelan, the main character of
E. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding of the content of this study, there are some important key terms that must be clearly defined. The key terms are author‘s intention and African American.
1. Author’s Intention
According to Hancher (1972, p.827), intention refers to ―what he
intended‖. In addition, Salar (2011) describes intention as ―an entity with causal
and explanatory power over it‘s effects and their features‖ (p.10). Payne (1977)
also adds the term intention in English usage that generally refers to ―what one has in mind to do or bring about‖ (p.249). According to Longman Dictionary of Language and Culture, the word intention refers to ―a plan which one has;
purpose‖. The word intention used in this context is specifically associated to
author‘s intention. Author‘s intention is descibed by Hancher (1972) as a ―design
or plan in the author‘s mind‖. In this thesis, the writer used Hancher‘s definition
of author‘s intention.
2. African American
According to the definition that is used in 2010 U.S Census of US Office Management and Budget, ―Black or African American‖ refers to a person having
Nationalist Theory and the Foundations of Black America that ―Afro – American referred people of African ancestry in the Americas to the land, history, and culture of their forebears, whiles their recognizing their presence as unassimilated
people in America‖ (p.243). According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary
English, African American refers to ―an American with dark skin, whose family originally came from the part of Africa south of the Sahara desert‖. The term ―Negro‖ (means black in Spanish and Portuguese) used to be acceptable for
7 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of some theories and studies which are related to the study. The writer divides this chapter into four parts. The first part is the review of related studies. The second part is the review of related theories. The third part is the review of socio-historical background. The last part is the theoretical frameworks.
A. Review of the Related Studies
In order to complete the writer‘s analysis about Skeeter Phelan‘s character; the writer reviews some studies which are related to the topic. One of the studies
is Egalitarianism in Kathryn Stockett‘s Novel The Help by Tuessonwily, Ningsih,
and Wahyuni (2013). Their study is about the characteristic of the protagonist main character, Skeeter Phelan. The significance of this study to the writer‘s analysis is that this study mentions one of the fundamental characteristics of Skeeter Phelan. It is stated in the study that:
Novel The Help (2009) written by Kathryn Stockett shows egalitarianism. It is revealed through text-based and context-based interpretation. Text based interpretation examines the interrelation between fictional devices such as character and setting (p.8).
some sort: People should get the same, or be treated the same, or be treated as
equal, in some respect.‖ Sears (1998) in Tuessonwily, Ningsih, and Wahyuni
(2013, p.2) mention that ―one of the values of egalitarian is equality of
opportunity or equal treatments‖. Furthermore, Tuessonwily, Ningsih, and
Wahyuni (2013) explain that egalitarianism can be ―created through the personal
experience of an individual‖ (p. 2). An example is given based on the story of
Mark Rossiter, a white film maker who is raised by an African American nanny. In this case, egalitarianism is created through the interracial relationship between a white child and his black nanny. Mark realizes that there was something unusual about the ways his nanny treated; unequal and different. He argues that his nanny should receive a better treatment. Johnston (2010) states that Mark considers his nanny as a second mother to him since the affection that she had given make him to be a better person. This experience makes him consider that all people are equal and should be treated equally (Tuessonwily, Ningsih, and Wahyuni, 2013, p. 2).
Mark Rossiter and Skeeter Phelan have similar story. It is also possible that
Skeeter‘s egalitarianism is created because of her affection with Constantine, an
African American maid who raised her. The writer uses this study as additional information to the character analysis of Skeeter Phelan. The study of
Egalitarianism in Kathryn Stockett‘s Novel The Help by Tuessonwily, Ningsih,
and Wahyuni (2013) is different from this study. Tuessonwily, Ningsih, and Wahyuni focus on egalitarianism as seen in Skeeter Phelan‘s character while this
study focuses on Skeeter Phelan‘s intention in writing a book. However, the
B. Review of Related Theories
The writer reviews three theories. The first is the theory of character. The second is the theory of characterization. The last is the author‘s intention.
1. Theory of Character
The Help is a fictional novel, whose character is a product during the writing process. Abrams (1985) describes character as ―the name of literary genre; it is a short, and usually witty, sketch in prose of a distinctive type of a person‖ (p.23). In Abrams‘ description,
Character are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say—the dialogue—and by what they do—the action (p.23).
Supporting Abram‘s statement, Gill (1995) defines character as ―a person in a
literary work‖ (p.127). Furthermore, he adds that a character has ―an identity
which is made up by appearance, conversation, action, name and (possibly) thoughts going on in the head‖ (p.127).
character, because according to Gill (1995) ―a character‘s thought can be evident to the reader.‖ (p.136). Furthermore, Gill states that:
If an author chooses to have access to the thoughts in a character‘s head, the reader can be aware no only of what he or she is thinking, but can be acquainted with the manner of thought—how the character‘s mind is made up, and how they approach problems and challenges. (p.136)
In other words, a character‘s thought is made up by the author and the reader could only define the characteristic from what is written in the story. The reader could use a character‘s thought as an evidence to describe the character‘s
personality. Thus, in this study, the theory of character is used to analyze the main
character‘s characteristic in order to reveal her intention in writing a book.
2. Theory of Characterization
The process of making a character is known as characterization. Characterization is defined by Gill (1995) as ―the way in which a character is created‖ (p.127). Abrams (1985) states there are two ways of portraying the character. The ways are by telling and showing. In telling, the author describes the characters directly through the sentences in order to be criticized and ―often to
evaluate the motives and dispositional qualities‖. In showing or termed as
―dramatic method‖, the author only ―presents the characters talking and acting‖
with previous elements (Gill, 1995, p.148). Thus, setting and social context are important factors in analyzing a character.
Murphy (1972) mentions several examples of ways which the author makes the characters understandable to the readers. According to Murphy, there are nine ways of characterizing (pp. 161-173):
a. Personal description
The author directly describes the person‘s physical appearance such as her/his build, her/his skin-color, her/his hair, and her/his clothes with various adjectives that make the description more vivid.
b. Character as seen by another
The author conveys the person‘s character through the choice of words and phrases through another character‘s eyes and opinion so that the reader will get the reflected image of the person.
c. Speech
The author gives the reader clue about the person‘s personality through what the person says and every time the person has conversation with other characters.
d. Past life
The author lets the reader learn about the person‘s past life events that shape her character. It can be done by giving direct comments, through the person‘s inner thought, or through the medium of another character. The person‘s past life might influence her personality in the present day.
The author gives a clue to the person‘s character through the things other
characters say about her/his in conversations when they talk about the person.
f. Reactions
The author gives the reader a clue of the person‘s character through her
reactions on some situations and events in the story. g. Direct comments
The author directly gives comments and description on the person‘s character.
h. Thoughts
The author gives the reader direct information of the person‘s thoughts. The
person‘s thoughts might be different with her action in real life.
i. Mannerism
The author describes the person‘s character through her habits and behavior
that may tells some information about her character to the readers.
3. Author’s Intention
The writer chooses the author‘s intention theory to analyze the main
character‘s possible intentions in writing the book. An author has various reasons
for writing a paragraph, sentence, or even word. An author has specific purpose and conscious plan in mind and put it into her work because every piece of
literature is basically a ―reservoir of sensory and mental experiences‖ (Payne,
through the progress of writing. It may be more difficult to find out the real intention of an author because we only read her thought only through her writings. Yet, in historical context, one can draw conclusion to an author‘s intention by
analyzing the ―immediate configuration of the author (including his intention), his
audience, and their situation, which may be elucidated by other social, cultural, and historical factors‖ (Payne, 1977, p.243).
Author‘s intention has an important role in dealing with the meaning of her
literary work. It is the fundamental point of giving a work its identity. Words are simply the evidence of the meanings. According to Irvin (2006),
To understand a work appropriately, perhaps we must see it as the product of an author: a particular human being in a certain socio-historical context, who writes with a certain style, tends to use words in certain ways, brings certain background knowledge and experiences to bear, and has written a body of works which may inform one another (p.122).
Thus, discovering author‘s intention needs detailed inspection through the work
itself. Beside word, another evidence of the intention can be seen through author‘s behavior. Intention is not a ―private mental events‖. It is connected in certain system of human behavior, and for this reason, another evidences can be
recognized by looking at the author‘s behavior (Irvin, 2006, p.117).
In its correlation with human behavior, author‘s intention cannot be
separated with the way it works in the artist‘s mind, how it is displayed in the
work, and which is its power in order to produce a certain experience (Salar, 2011, p.8). Hancher (1972) proposes that:
author‘s intention to be (understood as) acting in some way or other; (3) the author‘s intention to cause something or other to happen (p.829).
In further explanation, Hancher (1972) says that the author‘s intention to make something or other is called ―programmatic intention‖ and intentions to be (understood as) acting is called ―active intention‖. The difference between these
two intentions lies in ―an intention to do something oneself‖ and ―an intention that
the thing one has made, mean something or other‖. Then, there is the third kind of intentions which purpose to cause an effect of one sort or another, termed as ―final
intention‖. Yet the effect of this final intention is more explicit.
An author‘s intention of her completed work towards the reader might be
to change their knowledge or belief about subject matter; or purely to entertain; or to release experience of pity and fear. On the other hand, the completed work, as regard of the author herself, might be for earning certain amount of money, or to make her famous. An author‘s intention during the writing process before it is fully completed can be ―a kind of psychotherapy for him or to be a pure pleasure
for him‖ (Hancher, 1972, pp. 829-835). The psychological condition of an author
such as anxiety, fear, sadness, and homesick, might initiate her to write something to relieve herself from those feeling. Intention is a thing that has ―causal and explanatory power over its effects and their features‖ and its components are
C. Review of the Socio-Historical Background
The writer reviews the socio-historical background of the novel. Socio-historical background is used because the one of the ways to ―locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it‖ (Rohrberger & Woods, 1971,
p.9). The writer divides the socio-historical review into two parts. The first part is concerning about Civil Rights Movement in general. The second part is the
specific topic of Women‘s Role in Southern Society during Civil Rights
Movement.
1. Civil Rights Movement
The world politics were dominated by the rivalry between Russia and America during 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The rivalry is called Cold War. A lot of human resources were needed. As a result, African American forebears were imported to United States as slaves during war time. They were being bought and sold as property and the buyer will own them. They had no rights to enjoy proper living in United States and being considered less than human. Their human rights, the rights that individuals have from the time they were born, were denied. African American race became minority, and they often ―regarded as inferior‖ (South African History Online). The old rules of slavery seem to be continued since some rules from the early eighteenth century slavery in the South are clearly ―codified‖. It is mentioned that African Americans were slaves who considered as
marriage between African American and white people. African American cannot get any kind of property by buying or inheritance either. African American ―could not engage in litigation or enter into civil contracts; they could not testify against whites in court, nor could they sit on juries‖ (Stampp, 1956; Starobin, 1970, p.7, as cited in Aguirre & Turner, 2011, p.115).
Since 1865, the biggest population of slaves lived and worked on farms and plantation in Southern America; North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. While it was time for Northern America to end slavery, the Southern refused to follow the decision. African American in Southern were still discriminated based on racist laws called Jim Crow (South African History Online). The discrimination affected many fundamental aspects of life: housing, political, economical, and educational discrimination. When African Americans experience housing discrimination, they were isolated from white American areas. While all the business is growing in the city, African American lives far outside from it. According to Aguirre and Turner
(2011), ―90 percent of all African Americans remained in the South, 75 percent
living under oppressive conditions in rural areas.‖ (p.126). As the consequence, not only they could not get employment, but also lost the access of good schools, public facilities and services. They were not allowed to vote either (South African History Online).
States because their skin color is more identifiable. It makes them the easiest targets of discrimination, especially when they socialize with white Americans (as their employers) in inner city (Aguirre & Turner, 2011, p.147). Along with the the African Americans population escalates in the inner city; the segregation level also escalates quickly. Armstrong (2012) mentions racial segregation as ―a form of institutional racism‖ (p. 33) because of the separation by law and action in daily activities including the use of public facilities and transportation. This statement is supported by Calmore (1993) as cited in Aguirre and Turner (2011):
Segregation of African Americans means that this minority is concentrated in inner cities and in city public housing. The result is that African Americans have (1) reduced access to jobs (because many companies have moved to the suburbs), (2) reduced capacity to go to good schools (because many inner-city schools are underfunded, overcrowded, and plagued with problems ranging from drugs and crime to high dropout rates) and (3) reduced ability to live and grow up outside the sphere of rampant crime, drug use, and gang activity (p.107).
Segregation is violating African American‘s civil rights. Civil rights are the law of protection and freedoms given by nations to all citizens within their territorial area. When African American‘s civil rights are not being granted, they form Civil Rights Movement to receive equality. Armstrong (2012) describes The Civil Rights Movement as:
2. Women’s Role in Southern American Society
A lot of women stood up for their rights during Civil Rights Movement. They concerned to their freedom in taking care of their own families. Irons (1998), as cited in Armstrong (2012) identifies that there are three types of women participation varied by race in the Civil Rights Movement: ―(1) high risk activism,
(2) low-risk activism, and (3) activist mothering and women‘s work‖ (p.38). High-risk activist deals with dangerous matters; legal, social, physical and financial. African –American women dominated the number of high-risk activism
because ―they had more to gain by participating and thereby more willing to risk
more‖. Many of white American women were also involved in Mississippi
movement as low-risk activists. Low-risk activist is ―open to white middle-class women who could have engaged in high-risk activism, but would have been in jeopardy losing their economic, social, and political status in Mississippi society‖.
Since women have different skills than men, their concern also different. They usually more focus on domestic specialty. Activist mothering or women‘s work
were referred to them whose ―skills relating to maternalism, nurturance and
domesticity‖ (Armstrong, 2012, p.38-41).
Gladney (1994, p.6) in Marshall (1999, p. 1) gives explanation that ―in fact, the roles of the southern black woman and the southern white woman are
equally important and oppressive‖. The typical African American women in the
domestic life‖. Consequently, they are completing dual jobs; taking care of white
family and their own family. African American maid represents ―comfort and ease not only to a child in conflict, but also to children who view their white mothers as overbearing and unavailable‖ (p.2). White mother is responsible of advising her own children about what is right and wrong. Subsequently, Marshall adds that the white Southern American women have an ―equally important role‖ because they
are responsible for keeping the ―Southern Tradition‖ which consists of the do and do not do list of behavior among Southern women (p.1).
The Southern Tradition causes American white women to be alienated from their children because it makes the children feel uncomfortable with such discipline and propriety. Therefore, the children are more comfortable and relaxed around their ―non-authoritative figure‖ maids. The African American maids are obviously ―better in domestic and nurturing role than the white mother who is
D. Theoretical Frameworks
The reviews of related theories are applied to help the writer to answer the research questions in problem formulations. Firstly, the theories of character and characterization are used to analyze the main character of the novel, Eugenia
‗Skeeter‘ Phelan in Kathryn Stockett‘s The Help. Secondly, the theory of author‘s
21 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of three parts. The first is object of the study. It gives the details about the subject of the study. The second is approach of the study. It explains the literature approach used in this study. The third is method of the study which mentions the sources and elaborates the steps that the writer conducts in this study.
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is a fiction novel entitled The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett. The novel tells about the writing process of a book with similar title, Help. The book is written by the main character named Skeeter Phelan. To help the reader understand the story, the writer provides the summary of the book on appendix A. Before The Help was published, it had been rejected for more than 60 times. After it was published by The Penguin Group, New York in 2009, it became the number one in New York Times Best Seller, selected as the 2010 Indies Choice Book of the Year – Adult Debut, selected as the 2010 Southern Independent Booksellers Association‘s Book of the Year for Fiction and became
USA TODAY‘S Book of the Year (Kathryn Stockett, 2015).
The Helpis Stockett‘s first novel. It consists of 34 chapters and 453 pages.
Jackson, the author of best-selling book, Gods in Alabama praised Stockett and her novel,
Set in the rural South of the 1960‘s, The Help is a startling, resonant portrait of the intertwined lives of women on opposite sides of the racial
divide. Stockett‘s many gifts – a keen eye for character, a wicked sense of
humor, the perfect timing of a natural born storyteller- – shine as she evokes a time and place when black women were expected to help raise white babies, and yet could not use the same bathroom as their employers. Her characters, both white and black, are so fully fleshed they practically breathe – no stock villains or pious heroines here. I‘m becoming an evangelist for The Help. Don‘t miss this wise and astonishing debut.
The Help is written in multiple narrations of three women, one white
American named Eugenia ‗Skeeter‘ Phelan and two African American women
B. Approach of the Study
The writer chooses socio-historical approach in order to fulfill the objectives of the analysis. Wellek and Warren (1949) state that ―much the most common approach to the relations of literature and society is the study of works of literature as social documents, as assumed pictures of social reality‖ (p.102). There are three classifications of problem on how literature determined by society: ―the sociology of the writer, the social content of the works themselves, and the
influence of literature on society‖ (Wellek & Warren, 1949, p.96). Literature and society are inseparably linked. Society influences the process of literary works and once the works are completed, they might influence the society. Socio-historical approach is used because ―this approach can lead to an ethical judgment concerning the truth of an author‘s statements‖ (Rohrberger & Woods, 1971, p.10). Socio-historical approach is used to examine the social and historical background of the novel setting in order to find out the connections between
Skeeter Phelan‘s society and its influence towards the intention of her book, Help,
and influence of the book to the society.
C. Method of the Study
Literature, Teaching Literature, Mastering English Literature, A Glossary of
Literary Terms, and The Race Question and the Negro. The writer also uses journals and latest studies; Authors, Intentions, and Literary Meaning, Intention in Intentionalism, The Fallacy of Equating Meaning With the Human Author’s
Intention, Three Kinds of Intention, Egalitarianism, and Egalitarianism in
Kathryn Stockett’s Novel The Help. The writer also uses online journals and
references. Those sources are useful in completing the writer‘s knowledge throughout analysis progress.
There are several steps that the writer conducts in order to analyze the matter of subject. First, the writer reads the novel several times to master the primary source. From reading the novel, the writer finds several questions to be researched.
The writer formulates the problem into three questions. The problem formulation is made from the early analysis of the way Stockett depicts the character of Skeeter and people around her; the socio-historical background of the life of African-American and white American in Jackson, Mississippi and the influence of those factors to main character‘s intentions in writing Help.
In the third step, the writer finds the expert theories related to the topic of the study to be applied as theoretical frameworks. The theories are character – characterization in novel and theory of author‘s intention. To support the
The fourth step is focusing on deeper analysis of the main character‘s intention based on the previous theories and socio-historical background review. The writer applies the theories and background review into the data from the primary source. This step brings together the evidences found in The Help novel.
26 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter discusses the analysis of Kathryn Stockett‘s The Help main character, Skeeter Phelan. It is divided into three parts. The first part is the character analysis of Sketeer Phelan. The second part discusses the social life and historical issues in Sketeer‘s neighborhood. The third part discusses Skeeter‘s intention in writing the Help novel.
A. The Character Analysis of Skeeter Phelan
Unfortunately, when she comes back from college, she finds out that Constantine left. She has no idea why Constantine left her and no one tells her the truth.
Skeeter is an egalitarian. The writer analyzes her egalitarian behavior based on an Egalitarianism study by Arneson. The indication that she is an egalitarian is the fact that she believes that African American should get the same, or be treated equal with white people. Even though she is a white American, Skeeter has a high sense of humanity and she disagrees with those who try to discriminate minorities, in this context is African Americans. Skeeter even refuses when her best friend, Hilly insists to print the Home Help Sanitation Initiative, a bill that will require all white homes to separate the bathroom for their African American employees. Based on Murphy (1972, p.163), a character‘s personality can be seen through the speech with other character. In this case, Skeeter‘s
conversation with Hilly Holbrook is the evidence.
―I told you five months ago to print my initiative and now another week
has passed and you still haven‘t followed my instructions.‖
I stare at her and my anger is sudden, ferocious. Everything I‘ve kept
down for months rises and erupts in my throat. ―I will not print that initiative.‖ (p. 286).
Her childhood experience created her egalitarian personality. An African American maid who raised her named Constantine is her biggest influence in respecting African Americans. Constantine makes Skeeter a better person at heart. Constantine used to live in Hotstack, a small neighborhood about a mile away
from Skeeter‘s house. When Skeeter was a girl, her mother let her to go to
Constantine‘s house. Her mother would tell her to be nice with the little African
nice because she considers they are all the same. She has no idea about racial discrimination. She adores Constantine a lot because Constantine treats Skeeter like her own child. When things changes around her now, she can tell that the situation is wrong. People are not friendly with African American anymore. Her heart pushes her to do something about it. She cannot handle whenever Hilly or other people treat African Americans like slaves who should obey the rules white people make to them.
―These is white rules. I don‘t know which ones you following and which
ones you ain‘t.‖ We look at each other a second. ―I‘m tired of the rules,‖ I say. Aibileen chuckles and looks out the window. I realize how thin this revelation must sound to her (p. 158).
Even Aibileen, who already built a good relationship with Skeeter, still thinks about the rules because she does not want to do something wrong. Skeeter thinks about what she is going to do with the situation because she cannot just stand there watching and do nothing. Her decision to write a book is the way she helps Aibileen and her fellow maids to speak the truth from their point of views.
Skeeter Phelan is a hard worker. She is the only one from her circle who graduated from Ole Miss. Most of her best friends left college to be married. While other girls prefer to have fun with boys and parties, she reads books and writes a lot. The writer obtains the evidence from Skeeter‘s ―personal description‖ (Murphy, 1972, p.161).
that one day I would write something that people would actually read (p. 60).
After graduated, she applied for a job as an editor in Harper and Row New York, but unfortunately she received a mail from Elaine Stein, the senior, saying that to be an editor, she needs more experience. In order to find more experience, she applied a job at Jackson Journal. She got the job as a columnist who writes about housekeeping stuff. Meanwhile, Elaine Stein challenged Skeeter to write something original and she might get another chance to work in New York.
...Don’t waste your time on the obvious things. Write about what disturbs
you, particularly if it bothers no one else. Yours sincerely, Elaine Stein, Senior Editor, Adult Book Division (p. 73).
Skeeter keeps thinking about the letters. After she receives it, she starts to list all of the ideas and topics that pop out in her head. Another evidence which shows her characteristic as a hard worker is the way she reacts with her sadness the moment she broke up with her boyfriend. She said, ―instead of feeling sorry for
myself every minute of the day, I work, I type, I sweat‖ (p. 283). Her statement is also the evidence of her hard-working characteristic.
Skeeter is a brave woman. One day, Aibileen and Skeeter are talking and Aibileen tells about her son. Skeeter does not know Aibileen had a son because he passed away two years ago. Aibileen says that her son also wants to be a writer.
―Say he gone write himself a book.‖
―What kind of idea?‖ I ask. ―I mean, if you don‘t mind telling...‖
Aibileen says nothing for a while. Keeps peeling tomatoes around and
around. ―He read this book called Invisible Man. When he done, he say he
Skeeter thinks that it is a brave idea. She decides to write the compilation of interviews with African Americans maids who work for white families in a book form. She plans to gather information from several maids working for white families in Jackson, Mississippi, and they are all going to tell the truth whether it is good or bad. She tells Aibileen about it and she wants to make a book based on this idea. At first Aibileen is very excited with Skeeter‘s idea. When Skeeter says that the book will be about what it is like to work for a white family, Aibileen shows a little doubt. The writer analyzes Skeeter‘s brave characteristic from another character‘s thought (Murphy, 1972, p.162). Aibileen‘s thought about Skeeter when Skeeter decides to write the book about the African American maids is the proof.
I look around. We out here in the wide open. Don‘t she know how
dangerous this could be, talking about this while the whole world can see us? ―Exactly what kind a stories you think you gone hear?‖
―What you get paid, how they treat you, the bathrooms, the babies, all the things you‘ve seen, good and bad.‖ She looks excited, like this is some kind a game. For a second, I think I might be more mad than I am tired. ―Miss Skeeter,‖ I whisper, ―do that sound kind a dangerous to you? ―(p.105).
Skeeter‘s decision in writing Help is risky and dangerous. She will not only put
herself in danger, but also everyone who will be involved in the writing process of the book.
Skeeter is a determined person. Her reactions on some hard situations during the writing process shows the characteristic. According to Murphy (1972, p.168), the character‘s reaction on some situations in the story is the clue the
for Skeeter to convince Aibileen to help her, because Aibileen is scared that the employer will be angry if they find out that the story is about them.
―Minny got her some stories. Sho nuff.‖
―Aibileen,‖ I say. ―Thank you. Oh, thank you.‖ ―Yes ma‘am.‖
―I just... I have to ask you. What changed your mind?‖ Aibileen doesn‘t even pause. ―Miss Hilly,‖ she says.
I go quiet, thinking of Hilly‘s bathroom plan and accusing the maid of stealing and her talk of diseases. The name comes out flat, bitter as a bad pecan (p. 125).
However, she is determined to do it. She works really hard when she gets a chance to write Help.
I work for fifteen hours straight on Louvenia‘s interview. On Thursday
night, I go to the League meeting. I‘m dying to get out of the house, antsy from nerves, jittery about the deadline. The Christmas tree is starting to smell too rich, the spiced orange sickly decadent (p. 356).
It is a big opportunity for her career because the book will be published by Harper and Row in New York City. She has strong will to write it. During the writing process she meets a lot of obstacles. Yet, it did not stop her from continuing the project. The first problem happens when she asks Aibileen to be the first informant of her book. Aibileen says no because she thinks that it is too dangerous. After Aibileen agrees to help, the first interview goes bad because Aibileen is very nervous.
―I‘m sorry. I tought I was... ready to talk.‖ I nod, not sure what to do. ―I just... I know you already told that lady in New York I‘s gone do this
but...‖ She closes her eyes. ―I‘m sorry. I don‘t think I can. I think I need to
lay down.‖...I look over at my notebook on the white leather seat.
Besides where she grew up, I‘ve gotten a total of twelve words. And four of them are yes ma’am and no ma’am (p. 149).
Every single interview is a challenge for both Skeeter and Aibileen. They have to
anyone suspicious. In order to keep it secret, Skeeter has to lie to all people around her, including her own mother.
Another problem appears when Skeeter makes Hilly suspicious because Hilly accidentally found a list of Jim Crow Laws in her satchel which is
accidentally left at Hilly‘s house. It is a miracle that Hilly does not read the
interview papers. This incident makes Skeeter realizes that she has to keep distance with her friends in Junior League if she does not want to get caught. To be away from her best friends is not an easy thing for Skeeter because they are the only friends she has in the town. She is not ready to be casted out, but she is willing to take the risk for the sake of safety. In the early January, Skeeter proposed by Stuart. As his soon-to-be fiancée, she wants to be honest so she decides to tell Stuart first about the project she has been working. She tells all of the stories right away the minute after Stuart proposed her in the car. When Skeeter tells him the truth, she feels relieved because it is all crystal clear. Stuart is shocked because he thinks that Skeeter has been working on stories about Jesus. He takes back his proposal. Skeeter lost her friends and her boyfriend but she takes this as the consequences.
Another problem appears when the publisher, Elaine Stein from New
York, calls Skeeter to tell her that she likes Skeeter‘s story and perhaps will
brave are willing to help her. Yet, it is not enough for Elaine Stein. Skeeter calls the publisher a week after Thanksgiving week to let Elaine Stein knows that the story soon will be finished.
―It‘s almost finished. We just have two more interviews to complete and I was wondering if I should send it directly to your attention or to your
secretary.‖ ―Oh no, January is not acceptable.‖ ... ―The last editor‘s
meeting of the year is on December twenty-first,‖ Missus Stein continues.
―If you want a chance at getting this read, I‘ve got to have it in my hands
by then. Otherwise it goes in The Pile. You don‘t want to be in The Pile, Miss Phelan.‖ (p.350)
Skeeter is shocked by Stein‘s statement. As if it is not shocking enough, Stein continues with another statement,
―And the negro woman who raised you, I‘m assuming she‘s still there?‖ ―No, she‘s gone.‖
―Mmm. Too bad. Do you know what happened to her? It‘s just occured to
me, you‘ll need a section about your own maid.‖ I close my eyes, fighting
frustration. ―I don‘t....know, honestly.‖
―Well, find out and definitely get that in. It‘ll add something personal to all this.‖
―Yes ma‘am.‖ I say, even though I have no idea how I‘ll finish two maids
in time, much less write stories about Constantine. Just the thought of writing about ther makes me wish, deeply, that she was here now (p. 351). She wants Skeeter to add something personal in the end of the book. It means that Skeeter has to write about a maid who raised her.
No one around Skeeter tells her why Constantine left. When Skeeter comes to Aibileen‘s house for the first time asking on housekeeping stuff for Miss
that Constantine did not quit, but she was fired by Skeeter‘s mother. So far, that is all of the fact Aibileen can tell Skeeter. Skeeter comes home in anger with her mother.
I‘m shaking, I‘m so mad. I pound my way up the stairs. I sit at my typewriter, stunned that my mother could cast off someone who‘d done her the biggest favor of her life, raise her children, teach me kindness and self-respect (p. 83).
Even though Skeeter knows she cannot write about her own maid, the maid who raised her, she does not give up the stories. She likes to work in detail when it comes to the point of the story. She knows about how Constantine works in her house, but she does not know the life story of Constantine. She wants to write the real story of her. The paragraph below shows Skeeter‘s determination to find out
what happen with Constantine. She asks Aibileen for the second time so that she can write the truth.
It‘s a crisp December night and a fine rain is just starting to fall. Head down, I hurry along the street. My conversation this afternoon with Missus Stein is still racing through my head. I‘ve been trying to prioritize everything left to do. But the hardest part is, I have to ask Aibileen, again, about what happened to Constantine. I cannot do a just job on Constantine‘s story if I don‘t know what‘s happened to her. It defeats the point of the book, to put in only part of the story. It wouldn‘t be telling the truth (p. 355).
B. Socio-Historical Analysis of Skeeter Phelan’s Life
The first chapter setting of The Help is in August, 1962 in Jackson, Misssissippi. Skeeter and her friends from Junior League play bridge at Elizabeth
Leefolt‘s house. It is a routine activity for white ladies who belong to upper class
society. Life in Southern America during those years was not a good one. There were several racial issues related to discrimination towards African Americans. In
the middle of the conversation, Hilly Holbrook, Skeeter‘s best friend who is the
leader of the Junior League brings up the conversation about separate bathroom for the African American maids. Some white people believe that African Americans can spread contagious disease. For that reason, some families, but not all, build an outside bathroom for their African American employees. It happens in Skeeter‘s house as well. Her maid, Constantine, has a different bathroom
outside her house. Skeeter remembers that ―when we were kids, Mother told us she‘d spank us if we went in Constantine‘s bathroom. I miss Constantine more
than anything I‘ve ever missed in my life.‖ (p. 62). Skeeter as a little kid does not
understand why her mother would never let her uses Constantine‘s bathroom. Hilly Holbrook designs the Home Help Sanitation Initiative on which she
says ―as a disease-preventative measure‖ (p. 9). Home Help Sanitation Initiative is
a bill that requires every white home to have separate bathroom for the African American help. Skeeter is confused and does not like this idea. This is shown through Aibileen‘s thought when she saw the conversation between Skeeter and
Miss Skeeter, she frowning at Miss Hilly. She set her cards down faceup and say real matter-a-fact, ―Maybe we ought to just build you a bathroom outside, Hilly.‖ And Law, do that room get quiet. Miss Hilly say, ―I don‘t think you ought to be joking about the colored situation. Not if you want to stay on as editor of the League, Skeeter Phelan.‖ Miss Skeeter kind a laugh, but I can tell she don‘t think it‘s funny. ―What, you‘d...kick me out? For disagreeing with you?‖ Miss Hilly raise a eyebrow. ―I will do whatever I have to do to protect our town. Your lead, Mama.‖ (p. 9).
Hilly is the leader of the Junior League. Her statement shows that she will not tolerate whoever disagrees with the ideas of discriminating African-Americans. She has no doubt to kick someone out, even her own best friend. This is one of the consequences white people have to take if they want to defense African American rights, or join in any kinds of activism against discrimination. As for African Americans, the consequences will be much worst. That is why African Americans like Aibileen was scared to talk to Skeeter because if her employer sees something suspicious, she will be investigated.
―You and Miss Skeeter looked like you were talking awful serious about
something.‖ ―No, Ma‘am, she just....asking do I want some old clothes,‖ I
say and it sound like I‘m down in a well hole. Grease already working itself up my arms. Smell like underarm in here. Don‘t take no time fore sweat‘s running down my nose and ever time I scratch at it, I get a plug a crud on my face. Got to be the worst place in the world, inside a oven. You in here, you either cleaning or you getting cooked. Tonight I just know I‘m on have that dream I‘m stuck inside and the gas gets turned on. But I keep
my head in that awful place cause I‘d rather be anywhere sides answering
Miss Leefolt‘s questions about what Miss Skeeter was trying to say to me. Asking do I want to change things (p. 11).
Skeeter asks Aibileen whether she wants to change things after the talking about bathroom in the league, but Aibileen says no because she is scared.
Aibileen‘s neighbor, Louvenia, has a grandson named Robert. He and his
Robert. Robert Brown is beaten and blinded by white men after accidentally use the white bathroom at the local lawn and garden store where he works.
Franny bend her head down, say, ―You hear what happen to Louvenia‘s Brown‘s grandson this morning?‖ ―Robert?‖ I say. ―Who do the mowing?‖
―Use the white bathroom at Pinchman Lawn and Garden. Say they wasn‘t
a sign up saying so. Two white mens chased him and beat him with a tire iron.‖ Oh no. Not Robert. ―He...is he...?‖ Franny shakes her head. ―They
don‘t know. He up at the hospital. I heard he blind‖ (p. 103).
Robert‘s case shows how terrible and dangerous the situation is. White people
start to find any single mistake they could find from African Americans so it can be the reason to give them lesson because a lot of white people do not want to be equal with African American, or those who they call as slaves. By hurting them, white people aim to scare and stop the African American community from asking for equal civil rights. The next day, Skeeter surprises Aibileen by coming to her house in the African Americans neighborhood. People are staring at them talking. It is uncommon to have white people coming to African American house for good reason.
―I hope you don‘t mind me coming by,‖ she say. ―I just...I didn‘t know
where else we could talk.‖ I set down on the step and ever knob on my
spine hurt. Baby Girl is so nervous around her granmama, she wet all over me and I smell like it. The street‘s full a folks walking to sweet Louvenia‘s to pray for Robert, kids playing ball in the street. Everybody looking over at us thinking I must be getting fired or something (p. 104).
Skeeter does not aware of the fact because she spends a lot of time in college and has not been around these years.
room. This is where she finds a thin booklet of ―Compilation of Jim Crow Laws
of the South.‖
The booklet is simply a list of laws stating what colored people can and cannot do, in an assortment of Southern states. I skim the first page, puzzled why this is here. The laws are neither threatening nor friendly, just citing the facts:
No person shall require any white female to nurse in wards or rooms in which negro men are placed.
It shall be unlawful for a white person to marry anyone except a white person. Any marriage in violation of this section shall be void.
No colored barber shall serve as a barber to white women or girls.
The officer in charge shall not bury any colored persons upon ground used for the burial of white persons.
Books shall not be interchangeable between the white and colored schools, but shall continue to be used by the race first using them (p. 176).
Skeeter already knew about this kind of rule but this is the first time she sees them printed. She is shocked by how many laws exist to separate African Americans with her society. African Americans go to different church. They are also not allowed to use the same facilities with white people; water fountain, movie houses, public restroom, ballparks, phone booths, circus show, pharmacy, post office, lunch counters, the state fair, pool tables, and even hospital. Even though people who live in Jackson know all about it, they do not talk about it because it is a sensitive issue.
