The Help chapter summaries
Chapter 1 – (Aibileen pov.) introduces her job and child she looks after (Mae Mobiley). Mrs
Leefolt is hosting bridge club with other ladies where they discuss the Home Health
Sanitation Initiative.
“a bitter seed was planted inside” (passive rebellion)
“Mae Mobley so fat” (societies beauty expectations)
“Separate but equal” (segregation)
Chapter 2 – (Aibileen pov.) introduce Minny who is shown as the opposite of Aibileen and is
about to lose her job.
“Terrible awful thing I did” (hyperbolic)
“I have decided to build your own very bathroom (happy in their position)
Chapter 3 – (Minny’s pov) she meets her new boss (Celia Foot) who is the opposite of other
white women and is friendly and good to Minny
“I’ve never had this choice before” (role reversal)
“can I get you a cold drink”
Chapter 4 – (Minny’s pov) Minny is confused about Celia as she never leaves the house and
won’t tell her husband about hiring a maid
“white ladies don’t go around barefoot” (stereotype)
“kids the only thing worth living for” (pressure to have children)
“Burned up confederate flag” (Celia’s husband)
Chapter 5 – (Skeeter’s pov) introduces her character – non-stereotypical with the desire to
have a job, doesn’t care about marriage/beauty (shown through conversation with her
mother) and is less racist than other characters (seen with Constatine)
“separates me from married girls” (societal expectations)
“I will never be able to tell my mother I want to be a writer” (female eunuch)
“I miss Constantine more than anything” (isn’t prejudice)
Chapter 6 – (Skeeter’s pov) Skeeter gets a job writing a cleaning column for her local paper
and asks Aibileen for advice. Idea for the book is first mentioned
“you’ll never meet anybody sitting at a type writer” (women should be more focused on
marriage than jobs)
“I can tell she thinks I have said too much to a white women” (racial divisions)
“that would be crossing the line (transgressing racial barrier)
, Chapter 7 – (Aibileen pov.) she is teaching Mae Mobily to use the toilet
“this dirty out here…..you’ll catch diseases (ironic – Aibileen teaches MM to use toilet but
they can’t use the same one)
“they raise a child then 20 years later the child becomes employer” (endless domestic cycle)
Chapter 8 – (Skeeter pov.) she pitches the idea of the book to Aibileen who at first refuses
then agree in chapt. 9
“I might as well burn my own house down” (link to AO3 – “things are a little dangerous
down here” and skeeter’s lack of understanding of the danger)
“No ma’am” (reverts to formal language)
“I reckon I’m on to do it (chapt. 9 passive resistance)
Chapter 9 – (Skeeters pov.) she goes on a date with the senator’s son which doesn’t go very
well (as he has a more stereotypical view of women)
“you are particularly tall” (based on looks)
Chapter 10 – (Minny’s pov) continues to work for Celia, when her husband comes home to
Minny working there – he reacts well to it and claims to have already knew about her
“I want her to see that every penny of charges matches the paper (black are untrustworthy)
Mimosa tree – “branches broke and spindly leaves are brown and saggy (parallels Celia’s
infertility)
Chapter 11 – (Skeeter pov.) she visits Aibileen to stsrt the interview for the book. To start
with Skeeter asks A questions but it doesn’t work so instead Aibileen writes her story down.
“she stands a little taller in her own house” (role reversal)
“integration violence” (AO3)
“four of them are ye ma’am and no ma’am” (needs to be A’s voice)
“for thinking she’d stop feeling like a maid just because we were in house and she wasn’t
wearing her uniform” (crossing the colour line)
Chapter 12 – (Skeeter pov.) Aibileen tells her, her story and also asks for some books. Hilly
shows Skeeter her written proposal for the HHSI
“protect yourself…your children….your help” (thinks she is helping not being racist)
“black diseases” vs “white germs” (semantic field)
Faulkner, Eudora, Wetty and To kill a mockingbird” (AO3)
Chapter 13 – (Skeeter’s pov) she goes on another date with Stuart – it does well. She visits
the library and is threatened by Hilly when she finds the Jim Crow laws in her bag
Chapter 1 – (Aibileen pov.) introduces her job and child she looks after (Mae Mobiley). Mrs
Leefolt is hosting bridge club with other ladies where they discuss the Home Health
Sanitation Initiative.
“a bitter seed was planted inside” (passive rebellion)
“Mae Mobley so fat” (societies beauty expectations)
“Separate but equal” (segregation)
Chapter 2 – (Aibileen pov.) introduce Minny who is shown as the opposite of Aibileen and is
about to lose her job.
“Terrible awful thing I did” (hyperbolic)
“I have decided to build your own very bathroom (happy in their position)
Chapter 3 – (Minny’s pov) she meets her new boss (Celia Foot) who is the opposite of other
white women and is friendly and good to Minny
“I’ve never had this choice before” (role reversal)
“can I get you a cold drink”
Chapter 4 – (Minny’s pov) Minny is confused about Celia as she never leaves the house and
won’t tell her husband about hiring a maid
“white ladies don’t go around barefoot” (stereotype)
“kids the only thing worth living for” (pressure to have children)
“Burned up confederate flag” (Celia’s husband)
Chapter 5 – (Skeeter’s pov) introduces her character – non-stereotypical with the desire to
have a job, doesn’t care about marriage/beauty (shown through conversation with her
mother) and is less racist than other characters (seen with Constatine)
“separates me from married girls” (societal expectations)
“I will never be able to tell my mother I want to be a writer” (female eunuch)
“I miss Constantine more than anything” (isn’t prejudice)
Chapter 6 – (Skeeter’s pov) Skeeter gets a job writing a cleaning column for her local paper
and asks Aibileen for advice. Idea for the book is first mentioned
“you’ll never meet anybody sitting at a type writer” (women should be more focused on
marriage than jobs)
“I can tell she thinks I have said too much to a white women” (racial divisions)
“that would be crossing the line (transgressing racial barrier)
, Chapter 7 – (Aibileen pov.) she is teaching Mae Mobily to use the toilet
“this dirty out here…..you’ll catch diseases (ironic – Aibileen teaches MM to use toilet but
they can’t use the same one)
“they raise a child then 20 years later the child becomes employer” (endless domestic cycle)
Chapter 8 – (Skeeter pov.) she pitches the idea of the book to Aibileen who at first refuses
then agree in chapt. 9
“I might as well burn my own house down” (link to AO3 – “things are a little dangerous
down here” and skeeter’s lack of understanding of the danger)
“No ma’am” (reverts to formal language)
“I reckon I’m on to do it (chapt. 9 passive resistance)
Chapter 9 – (Skeeters pov.) she goes on a date with the senator’s son which doesn’t go very
well (as he has a more stereotypical view of women)
“you are particularly tall” (based on looks)
Chapter 10 – (Minny’s pov) continues to work for Celia, when her husband comes home to
Minny working there – he reacts well to it and claims to have already knew about her
“I want her to see that every penny of charges matches the paper (black are untrustworthy)
Mimosa tree – “branches broke and spindly leaves are brown and saggy (parallels Celia’s
infertility)
Chapter 11 – (Skeeter pov.) she visits Aibileen to stsrt the interview for the book. To start
with Skeeter asks A questions but it doesn’t work so instead Aibileen writes her story down.
“she stands a little taller in her own house” (role reversal)
“integration violence” (AO3)
“four of them are ye ma’am and no ma’am” (needs to be A’s voice)
“for thinking she’d stop feeling like a maid just because we were in house and she wasn’t
wearing her uniform” (crossing the colour line)
Chapter 12 – (Skeeter pov.) Aibileen tells her, her story and also asks for some books. Hilly
shows Skeeter her written proposal for the HHSI
“protect yourself…your children….your help” (thinks she is helping not being racist)
“black diseases” vs “white germs” (semantic field)
Faulkner, Eudora, Wetty and To kill a mockingbird” (AO3)
Chapter 13 – (Skeeter’s pov) she goes on another date with Stuart – it does well. She visits
the library and is threatened by Hilly when she finds the Jim Crow laws in her bag
