Discussion Topic
Symbols and motifs in The Help
Summary:
In The Help, symbols and motifs include the toilets, which represent the segregation and racial inequalities of the time. The book written by the maids symbolizes their courage and the power of storytelling to effect change. Additionally, the motif of food highlights the cultural and social divisions between the characters, as well as moments of bonding and understanding.
What are the recurring symbols and motifs in The Help?
Pies are a symbol and a motif that occur regularly in the novel. Minny bakes a pie with feces in it that she gives to Hilly as a way to get back at Hilly for her poor treatment. The pie is a symbol of the way in which Hilly and the other white women rely on their domestic help, as Minny is an excellent baker and cook, and it is also a way in which the maids can exert some power over the white women they work for. The white women need their help to cook for them, so the African American maids also have some power over their employers.
Sheets are another motif. Minny complains about having to change sheets in Celia's house, as the sheets are filled with hair, scabs, and other personal signs. Minny feels that having to change sheets is offensive and something that only family...
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members should have to do. Sheets are a sign of the way in which the maids have to do things that are repulsive for their white employers.
Actually, the phrase "the help" is a recurring motif throughout the novel. Obviously, the phrase is used literally to refer to the maids; however, the phrase is also used to define the myriad relationships that are developed among white families and their maids. As Skeeter and Aibileen complete the book with the other maids, it becomes evident that several families have become dependent on their maids. Minny provided all care for Hilly's mother and when she was fired, Hilly's mother went into a senior facility. Other families are equally dependent on their maids. Yet other families appear to be indifferent to their maids and treat them with little civil regard, such as Hilly's treatment of her maids. Then there are others who stand up for their maids even in times of hardship such as Celia's standing up for Minny even after she finds out Minny's terrible secret. These variations complicate the racial divide in Southern society which is one of the themes that Stockett explores in her novel.
What are some symbols in The Help?
The most salient symbol in the novel is the book that the women work on. This book is uses the same phrase, "the help", as the novel-proper and some of its significance can be found in this phrase.
The term relates to both the attempt of alleviating the situation that the maids of Jackson face while also referring to the maids themselves. As a double entendre, the title helps to symbolize the novel's characters, their situation, their efforts to aid one antoher, and the ethos of the novel at large.
Celia's mimosa tree is another clear symbol in the novel. When she is prepared to be herself and stop trying to be accepted, she also stops accepting the presence of a tree in her yard that she dislikes. She chops down the tree with her own two hands, acting in a way that is true to her personal history and communicative of the changes that have taken place in her character to make her more assertive and self-assured.
The next day Miss Celia is sitting at the table and looking at the mimosa tree outside, the one she thinks is ugly and has wanted to get rid of for months. Minny wonders if she will still have a job after today. Miss Celia takes off her heels, cracks her knuckles, and heads outside into the rain. When Minny sees her next, Miss Celia is carrying an axe. She takes a practice swing and then she starts chopping. It is pouring rain and leaves are sticking to her, but every chop of the axe is stronger than the last. Minny sits at the table and waits for her to finish. (eNotes)
What is the most compelling symbol in The Help?
I would sugges that the symbol of the bathroom might be one of the most powerful symbols in the novel. It is odd to suggest this, but it makes sense. The driving force that starts to get Skeeter thinking about life in Mississippi and how it must be changed in regards to the help is the notion of segregated bathrooms for the help. This becomes one of the major issues in both the bridge club and for Hilly to demand that Skeeter include it in the bulletin. The concept of the segregated bathroom is also what drives Abileen to talk to Skeeter. She understands that the drive for separate bathrooms, under the guise of "Separate, but equal," is something that she can no longer take in terms of the sweltering heat of the summer and also in how she is seen as a human being. The bathroom also is significant because its end product is what Minny places in "the pie." This becomes a significant symbol because what could be seen as an impediment, the idea of having a separate bathroom, is something that Minny uses as a source of strength and power in getting back at Hilly. In the end, the bathroom becomes a symbol of much for the characters in the novel.