By allowing the main characters in the story to take turns narrating, author Kathryn Stockett gives readers an intimate inside view of the emotions being experienced by Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minnie. Readers become more involved in the conflicting expectations and perceptions when they see them through the eyes of the people in the situations.

Stockett gave all three characters parts of the story to tell because the characters bring very different backgrounds and opinions to the storytelling process. Skeeter is increasingly outraged by the conduct of her race and age peers, but only slowly comes to understand the enormous risk she is asking the black women to take when she solicits their assistance.

Aibileen doesn't have a great deal of formal education, but she has a heart for caring for her babies and the experience to understand how she can try to create a change in her surroundings.

"He was a real nice Martian, Mister King. Looked just like us, nose, mouth, hair up on his head, but sometime people looked at him funny and sometime, well, I guess sometime people was just downright mean."
I could get in a lot a trouble telling her these little stories, especially with Mister Leefolt. But Mae Mobley know these our "secret stories".
"Why Aibee? Why was they so mean to him?" she ask.
"Cause he was green.”

Minnie started the story as a fighter, ready to take offense at every slight and insult that came her way. She struggled to stay employed because of her attitude until she started working for Celia Foote. In spite of herself, Minnie wants to help Celia, another woman being shut out and put down by the culture in which they lived.

By allowing these characters to personally present their involvement in the story, readers learn more about the characters, the others in the story, the attitudes being displayed, and the hard work that went into attempting to change some of those beliefs.