Ahh lovely ladies. These are just the summaries and some of my super short ramblings. I'm going to publish this when I am done here. Feel free to start commenting whenever. Tonight I will do my best to get back on the blog and edit my thoughts a bit more.
Chapter 8 - Back to Skeeter (already??); Flashback to a call with Mrs Stein; she explains her reasons for wanting to write the book, but still doesn't have any idea of how dangerous or monumental it would be; Skeeter tries to pay Aibileen for helping her with the Miss Myrna letters, but it very clearly comes off as a bribe hoping to get Aibileen to help and give an interview; in another flashback, Hilly strong-arms Aibileen to say thank you for that wretched colored bathroom; the Shinalator actually works.
Chapter 9 - Skeeter's date; Stuart is a great, big a-hole
Chapter 10 - Minny; finally! I wanted to know what happened when Mr Johnny came home...and it turns out it wasn't actually him; Anyway- it is finally December and this is the month Miss Celia is supposed to tell Johnny about hiring Minny; Celia manages to really aggrevate Minny by mentioning the praise she'd gotten from Johnny on one of Minny's pies (it really isn't fair, her taking credit for Minny's fine cooking); Minny tells Aibileen that no, she won't help Skeeter with her stories; Celia yells at Minny when she's having some kind of attack (Mandy I still don't know what her condition is, but I'm sure it's related) and then cries and apologizes to her the next day; Mister Johnny finally comes home and catches Minny but, GASP, isn't mad and, GASP, wants Minny to keep it a secret that he knows that Miss Celia is keeping a secret from him; but where is Celia at??
Chapter 11 - Skeeter (again) Her first meeting with Aibileen isn't productive at all; on the second go-around, she does seem to be getting more considerate (not making Aibileen serve her, for example) and almost trying to get to talk to each other closer to equals; though she does have misconceptions...like that writing is much to difficult for a black woman who works as help full-time and never went to college*;
Chapter 12 - Skeeter; lying to her mother that she is feeding the hungry**; Aibileen is doing all her own writing with Skeeter editing ***; it comes out that Aibileen has a whole long list of books she wants to read but that she can't get out of her colored library; Skeeter sends her manuscript off to Mrs Stein and has nightmares for 15 hours straight (how in the world did that girl get FIFTEEN hours of sleep??); Hilly gives Skeeter the note about the sanitation issues (UGH); Minny agrees to help; her reaction, conversation, and rules I think give Skeeter a small reality check.
Chapter 13 - Skeeter in this chapter, Skeeter finally starts to get a taste of what the consquenses are for going against white society; Stuart shows up and apologizes; they finally have a real and good date; Skeeter finds Jim Crow laws in the library and right away compares them to what Hilly is trying to do; at the Society meeting, Skeeter accidentally leaves her satchel behind; Hilly goes through it (how much she went through, we don't know); Skeeter gets her first ominous and non-directly-stated threat.
"Shame ain't the black, like dirt, like I always thought it was. Shame be the color of a new white uniform your mother ironed all night to pay for, white without a smudge or speck a work-dirt on it." p 176
** "{Mother} tells me on the side to make sure I wash my hands thoroughly with soap afterward" p 177
*** Once again you get that theme of the Help doing the work and the white ladies taking credit
I thought it was ironic when Skeeter yells to her mama that she is "Just writing down all the things I love about Jesus" when she is typing up Aibileen's stories. Ironic or funny. Because Jesus was all about the outcasts of his day: the widows, the poor, the orphans. And here Skeeter is writing about the outcasts of her time (today's too, really).
Skeeter is starting to realize other things about the 'colored' life in Mississippi. She is starting to notice things about the way people treat the African Americans, more and more she notices the divisions in society. *BUT she still doesn't give Aibileen credit for having a brain of her own (as another example, when Skeeter makes up a list of other maids to ask. Aibileen already asked 31 other women).
Monday, February 20, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Chapters 5-7
UGH-
Worst news ever? My last deleted itself after I tried to edit it. Dang Dang dang. I realized that I had really only read chapters 5-7, so I went in to try and edit out the "chapter 8" part. FAIL.
I don't have the time to re-do my post right now, but I do remember that I had posted a few questions. If anyone would like to take the lead and do a really fast summary in a comment, I'm all for it. It's just that right now I am going out the door for a 'bridesmaids' event at my brother's fiance's place.
Questions:
How do you feel about the fact that Skeeter's mom is disappointed in her degree? In her mother's eyes, college is for getting a man and getting married. Not actually finishing the degree.
How do you feel about the relationship between white children and the black maids? Do you think that Skeeter's affection for Constantine is really love? There is so much she never knew about Constantine. She never really, truly knew her. Probably 99% due to the societal constraints on them. Wouldn't you think that more white children (raised by black women) would question the societal standards like Skeeter is doing?? Apparently the hatred and general culture is more powerful than those small, human interactions.
What do you think about Skeeter trying to pressure Aibileen to do her book? Is it more self-serving for her career than anything?
And now, my lovely ladies, I've gotta go!
Worst news ever? My last deleted itself after I tried to edit it. Dang Dang dang. I realized that I had really only read chapters 5-7, so I went in to try and edit out the "chapter 8" part. FAIL.
I don't have the time to re-do my post right now, but I do remember that I had posted a few questions. If anyone would like to take the lead and do a really fast summary in a comment, I'm all for it. It's just that right now I am going out the door for a 'bridesmaids' event at my brother's fiance's place.
Questions:
How do you feel about the fact that Skeeter's mom is disappointed in her degree? In her mother's eyes, college is for getting a man and getting married. Not actually finishing the degree.
How do you feel about the relationship between white children and the black maids? Do you think that Skeeter's affection for Constantine is really love? There is so much she never knew about Constantine. She never really, truly knew her. Probably 99% due to the societal constraints on them. Wouldn't you think that more white children (raised by black women) would question the societal standards like Skeeter is doing?? Apparently the hatred and general culture is more powerful than those small, human interactions.
What do you think about Skeeter trying to pressure Aibileen to do her book? Is it more self-serving for her career than anything?
And now, my lovely ladies, I've gotta go!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
Well ladies, it's official. I finally got my lazy butt to finish reading chapters 3 and 4. After promising I'd have them done by Wednesday so that we could start talking. ;) This book is certainly much different from the Hunger Games. It is less about the excitement and action; much more about the conflict between people. Both individuals and groups of people.
Now... whenever I am reading something, I feel like I always focus on the wrong things. Like I get hung up on the details and I don't really see the bigger picture. So once again I'm hoping that you girls get something out of what I'm writing, and make the discussions even better with your comments.
Chapters 1 & 2 - Aibileen
This was our first look at the society in 1962 Mississippi. Where white women are more concerned about being society women than about raising their families. On one hand, I'd like to knock them down for not cleaning, not cooking, and not raising their own children. On the other hand, I'm still working out how to not be lazy about keeping my house clean, I only help Brad make most of our dinners...and I only have cats. Which are rather easy to take care of compared to children.
Aibileen is the first point of view that we see. She is taking care of the Leefolt place, and the Leefolt baby. During the Bridge game that Miss Leefolt has, only Miss Skeeter even almost talks with and treats Aibileen like more than just the black hired help. Miss Hilly goes on a separate-bathrooms rant, gets Minny fired. Minny gets back at her doing God-knows-what to that pie (my bet is a laxative). Aibileen helps Minny get a new job after Hilly has been spreading rooms about Minny stealing silver. BUT it is with Miss Celia...the lady that the other white women talk about as white trash. Talking about her almost as bad as they talk about the help.
Chapters 3 & 4 - Minny
When I dove into the book, I didn't pay much attention to the chapter headings (attention to detail... must work on that one). So it wasn't until I got to chapter 3 that I realized that the perspective was going to change. After that, I decided to see if there was a pattern. And it looks like it alternates every two chapters between Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter.
We start off with Minny going to interview with Miss Celia. There is a flashback to when Minny first starts working for white people and her mother tells her to not sass back. Of course, from what we know of Minny already she sometimes has a hard time roping that in. She interviews with the job with Miss Celia; Miss Celia comes from a bad part of Mississippi. Not exactly the kind of society lady the rest of the white women are that we've met. You feel for her: she is just as much of an outsider but in a different way. Celia clearly feels inferior and inept. She wants to make good impressions, but her upbringing is kind of holding her back. She hires Minny to clean and cook and give Celia cooking lessons...but she is hiding something. She won't tell her husband she's got hired help because (so she says) she wants him to think that she is learning to manage the house on her own. She is certainly hiding something. I want to know what--sometimes I get the impression that maybe she has a medical condition. Either that, or a crippling fear of moving about in the community.
This first Minny section ends with Mister Johnny coming home early and taking the women by surpruse.
First impressions...
What are your first impressions? What do you think of the characters? The point of view? The way the book is written?
Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine all that prejudice. I mean... separate bathrooms for black people because they might carry disease? (Really because the white people don't want their help using their bathrooms.) It's unbelievable. That is such an ignorant thing to say and think... and pass off as the truth.
At first I was thinking about how isolated I am from That kind of thinking. Both in a "that was so long ago" way and in an "I don't encounter that in my every day life" kind of way. Then I was thinking about it more... and that kind of ignorant thinking still happens. We were at Thanksgiving with Brad's family a few years ago. His uncle (through marriage) was drunk and going off on rants about how gay people should have separate bathrooms. And that's just the thing, isn't it? Maybe some people think "oh, we've got that whole black/civil rights thing figured out now." But really it just moves on to a different group of people.
I realized that I don't remember much about the Civil Rights movement at all, so I did a google search and came across this timeline: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html
I went down to 1962 to see what kinds of things were going on around that time. And wouldn't you know- the first black student enrolled at the University of Mississippi. President Kennedy sent 5,000 troops (5,000 federal troops) because rioting against that young man going to University got out of hand.
Now... whenever I am reading something, I feel like I always focus on the wrong things. Like I get hung up on the details and I don't really see the bigger picture. So once again I'm hoping that you girls get something out of what I'm writing, and make the discussions even better with your comments.
Chapters 1 & 2 - Aibileen
This was our first look at the society in 1962 Mississippi. Where white women are more concerned about being society women than about raising their families. On one hand, I'd like to knock them down for not cleaning, not cooking, and not raising their own children. On the other hand, I'm still working out how to not be lazy about keeping my house clean, I only help Brad make most of our dinners...and I only have cats. Which are rather easy to take care of compared to children.
Aibileen is the first point of view that we see. She is taking care of the Leefolt place, and the Leefolt baby. During the Bridge game that Miss Leefolt has, only Miss Skeeter even almost talks with and treats Aibileen like more than just the black hired help. Miss Hilly goes on a separate-bathrooms rant, gets Minny fired. Minny gets back at her doing God-knows-what to that pie (my bet is a laxative). Aibileen helps Minny get a new job after Hilly has been spreading rooms about Minny stealing silver. BUT it is with Miss Celia...the lady that the other white women talk about as white trash. Talking about her almost as bad as they talk about the help.
Chapters 3 & 4 - Minny
When I dove into the book, I didn't pay much attention to the chapter headings (attention to detail... must work on that one). So it wasn't until I got to chapter 3 that I realized that the perspective was going to change. After that, I decided to see if there was a pattern. And it looks like it alternates every two chapters between Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter.
We start off with Minny going to interview with Miss Celia. There is a flashback to when Minny first starts working for white people and her mother tells her to not sass back. Of course, from what we know of Minny already she sometimes has a hard time roping that in. She interviews with the job with Miss Celia; Miss Celia comes from a bad part of Mississippi. Not exactly the kind of society lady the rest of the white women are that we've met. You feel for her: she is just as much of an outsider but in a different way. Celia clearly feels inferior and inept. She wants to make good impressions, but her upbringing is kind of holding her back. She hires Minny to clean and cook and give Celia cooking lessons...but she is hiding something. She won't tell her husband she's got hired help because (so she says) she wants him to think that she is learning to manage the house on her own. She is certainly hiding something. I want to know what--sometimes I get the impression that maybe she has a medical condition. Either that, or a crippling fear of moving about in the community.
This first Minny section ends with Mister Johnny coming home early and taking the women by surpruse.
First impressions...
What are your first impressions? What do you think of the characters? The point of view? The way the book is written?
Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine all that prejudice. I mean... separate bathrooms for black people because they might carry disease? (Really because the white people don't want their help using their bathrooms.) It's unbelievable. That is such an ignorant thing to say and think... and pass off as the truth.
At first I was thinking about how isolated I am from That kind of thinking. Both in a "that was so long ago" way and in an "I don't encounter that in my every day life" kind of way. Then I was thinking about it more... and that kind of ignorant thinking still happens. We were at Thanksgiving with Brad's family a few years ago. His uncle (through marriage) was drunk and going off on rants about how gay people should have separate bathrooms. And that's just the thing, isn't it? Maybe some people think "oh, we've got that whole black/civil rights thing figured out now." But really it just moves on to a different group of people.
I realized that I don't remember much about the Civil Rights movement at all, so I did a google search and came across this timeline: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html
I went down to 1962 to see what kinds of things were going on around that time. And wouldn't you know- the first black student enrolled at the University of Mississippi. President Kennedy sent 5,000 troops (5,000 federal troops) because rioting against that young man going to University got out of hand.
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