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Essay / The Idea of Racial Inequality in The Help by Katherine Stockett
The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett, follows the lives and perspectives of three women in a southern American town in the early 1960s Jackson, Mississippi is a stereotypical small town with clearly racially discriminatory norms, where maids of color work for white households. The Help was written by Stockett to raise the issue of civil rights and racial segregation, recounting where Stockett grew up. It is a work of fiction although it is based on his personal experiences living in Jackson. This provokes reflection and awareness of today's social injustice. The idea of racial inequality is explored in depth throughout the novel through the characters' ideas about values and expectations, toilets, and raising children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first idea Stockett explores is the theme of racial inequality which manifests itself through the different values and expectations of whites and colored through irony and symbolism. . These expectations of housekeepers of color are completely different from those of the white families they serve. Stockett uses the technique of irony to highlight inconsistencies in how people of color are viewed and treated as human beings. After having his clothes completed at a league meeting, Skeeter thinks I wouldn't dare wear old clothes to a meeting and neither should you. The concerns of white women seem insignificant, while attitudes aimed at keeping up appearances are universal. White women don't work to support their families, men are expected to work office jobs to support the household. The symbolism is shown through the colorful maids who wear white uniforms covering them with a familiar color to make them look more familiar. Stockett juxtaposes the expectations of what the handmaids believe they can or cannot do with their lives with the aspirations of white people. White women members of the “League” are happy to send money to PSCAs (the poor and starving children of Africa) who may be suffering from the diseases they so fear their colored servants are “stricken with.” They use illness as another excuse to not be close or directly associated with their handmaids and to put themselves on a pedestal above them. The working conditions and prospects for advancement of Whites and Coloreds are very different. Women of color must work and move away from their families to care for the white families they serve. Aibileen's family and the Gessum Avenue community where she lives across the bridge have a true sense of family, community and belonging. The differences in values and expectations between races further demonstrate the theme of racial inequality in the novel. The second idea explored in the novel to explore racial inequality is the idea of toilets through storytelling convention and the technique of symbolism. The unique style of storytelling provides perspectives on bathroom segregation and allows the reader to understand the extent of discrimination against people of color. This evokes emotion in readers by being able to empathize with the characters. Even in the workplace, cleaners of color still face discrimination. The white families who employ them lack confidence when it comes to cleaning their..