The Help, based on the best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett, is a film by Tate Taylor about race and class relations in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. The film revolves around the lives of the African American maids working in white households. African-American women had few options but to labor as exploited domestics for wealthy white families. The film portrays the hardships faced by the maids working in white households. Aibileen Clarke, a maid who works for Elizabeth takes the initiative to help Skeeter write her book. Sometimes you need to create your own path in order to achieve something rather than following the footsteps of others. She foresees the consequences of her actions which reveals that Aibileen is a woman of …show more content…
She is then hired by Celia Foote who is completely helpless and can not manage her house on her own. In The Help, Aibileen demonstrates courage in many situations. Three instances that come to mind would be when she helps Skeeter write the book, the way she processes the death of her son, and in her approach to the future. Through helping skeeter write her book, Aibileen is the first to recognize the books importance. She shows courage because writing the book is subversive. It challenges the social hierarchy of Jackson and Aibileen takes a huge risk to help Skeeter write it. Aibileen is brave in her reaction to her uncertain future at the end of the film. Despite this uncertainty, it is clear that Aibileen is not afraid of what lies ahead of her. She is able to smile and face the future, looking at it direct with a sense of hope and confidence. For a woman of color who has lived her entire life as “the help” while experiencing the worst of segregation and discrimination. Skeeter asks Aibileen what made her change her mind on this matter, and Aibileen replies with two words - Miss