Make Research And Discuss Inequality and Racism in The Help (Essay Sample)

Inequality and Racism in “The Help”
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Racism Inequality as Observed in “The Help”
The fundamental topics of the novel are racism and inequality which are guided toward blacks regarding their race and color. The whites treat the black housekeepers poorly because they are “inferior” and “dirty”. At its center, The Help is an investigation of the courses in which prejudice swarmed each part of social life as depicted in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi – based on Jim Crow rules that authorized discrimination regarding race and isolation as an official strategy to informal discussions between working class white ladies. Specifically, the novel spotlights on the way white housewives supported the misuse and psychological mistreatment of their black servants by convincing themselves that black individuals are on a very basic level not quite the same as – and substandard compared to – white people.
Ms. Hilly transparently communicates the conviction that African-Americans are allegorically and actually "unclean," susceptible to moral degeneracy and infectious maladies not present in the white people. On a bigger scale, practically every white lady in the novel plays out the social practices which strengthen the institutional segregation of whites and blacks under Jim Crow rule. The white women don't give their housekeepers a chance to touch them, have a meal at the same table, or share food. These regular practices dehumanize the housekeepers and make it simpler for the housewives to abuse their servants' work.
A standout amongst the most striking scenes of prejudice that white ladies show towards their servants in The Help is the episode in which Skeeter's mom, Mrs. Phelan, allows Constantine-who has worked for the family for years- to go. The daughter of Constantine-Lulabelle- appears after numerous years of staying in the north. Right then and there, Skeeter's mom is facilitating a DAR occasion and has a few white ladies in the house as visitors. Constantine is caught up with serving the white ladies, while Lulabelle is acting more like a visitor than like offer assistance.
Lulabelle takes a cake and joins the members of the DAR, despite the fact that the other guests likely would not have acknowledged her. This profoundly annoys Mrs. Phelan, who doesn't consider African-American individuals as even. This instance makes Mrs. Phelan order Lulabelle out of the house through the back door. She then justifies her actions by saying "I couldn't have that girl going around Jackson, acting white when she was colored, telling everyone she got into a DAR party" (363). She openly talks about discrimination when she says that dark people "…..are not like regular people" (page 364).
Apart from African-American not being allowed to share the same table with the whites, they are also not allowed to share the same utensils and washrooms. The whites in the novel live by the assumption that black people are unclean and they can easily infect theme with infectious diseases. Miss Hilly Holbrook in one of her conversations says that there's need to construct separate washrooms whereby one part will be used by the whites while the blacks use the other section. Minny's mom recommends it is best to utilize similar utensils consistently, to keep them isolate from others and to eat in the kitchen. These were sections of the laws that she passed onto her little girl and which demonstrate the level of racism conditions in the working environment.
Another example of prejudice is when Hilly traps Skeeter with Stuart and advises her that his dad is a senator who wants to ensure that black learners do not get the opportunity of going to class at Ole Miss. Apart from being told to use different facilities, black individuals are advised to watch their speech so that it doesn't cause violence. They are always exposed to similar work types are not given a chance to improve their skills through training. The author has used characters such as Minny and Aibileen who use the old language to show their low and outdated level of education. Education belongs only to the white people.
Inequality in the novel is also exemplified when it comes to wages. Black people are lowly-paid because they are inferior and that they don't deserve equal pay for equal work. Leefolt pays her house help-Aibileen- less salary compared to the legitimized salary recommended.
The novel researches and depicts how inequality and racism are not inborn to human instinct, but rather is rather passed down from one era to another era through education. Up to a particular point, white kids in the literary piece are "colorblind" i.e. they don't shape any racial preferences concerning the black servants who raise them. In any case, as Aibileen has gained from her experience bringing up seventeen white youngsters, the children begin to see racial contrasts when their teac...