Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
But then I realize, like a shell cracking open in my head, there's no difference between those government laws and Hilly building Aibileen a bathroom in the garage, except ten minutes' worth of sig...
Setting
Stockett follows in a long tradition of southern writers– including William Faulkner, Harper Lee, Richard Wright, and John Grisham (to name a few) – who cast critical and loving eyes on their...
Narrator Point of View
The Help features three first-person narrators: Aibileen Clark (eleven chapters), Minny Jackson (nine chapters), and Skeeter Phelan (thirteen chapters). Author Kathryn Stockett says,I started writi...
Writing Style
The richness and variety of language is part of what makes this book so appealing and intriguing. Kathryn Stockett, a white woman from Mississippi, takes a bold step. Two of her three narrators are...
What's Up With the Title?
We think the title is brilliant – so much meaning packed into two little words. It refers to "the help" – the black women who provide childcare and maid service to the white families in Jackson...
What's Up With the Ending?
We want a sequel! We want a sequel! There. Just had to get that off our chest (yes, Shmoop has a chest). Don't get us wrong, we find the ending of The Help highly satisfying. We just can't get enou...