Aristocracy In The Help By Eugenia

When one has an advantage, whether born into, born with, or earned, it seems counterintuitive that one would give up this advantage. In The Help, Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a member of the white elites of Jackson, Mississippi during the Civil Rights era, rejects her high position of birth to help the lower class black housemaids, or “help”. Skeeter does this by interviewing black housemaids about their, mostly negative, relationships with their white bosses for a book while alienating herself from members of the white elite and dismantling the current system. This creates a contention: why would someone of the artificial aristocracy try to create a more meritocratic system and what does this show about the state of mobility in America? This

According to Thomas Jefferson, artificial aristocracy is “founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents” whereas natural aristocracy is founded on “virtue and talents” (Jefferson). The elite class of Jackson is based on system of wealth and birth where members must be born into society to be deemed aristocratic. The black house workers of the elite are most obviously not born into wealth and prestige while Celia Foote, who is from Sugar Ditch and was raised poor but marries a member of the Jackson elite, is never accepted by Jackson society. Meanwhile, women like Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt are born into society and marry men to remain in the society while Skeeter is born into society and associates with women like Holbrooke and Leefolt but rejects the natural perpetuation of society. No one besides Skeeter and the help display any ambition for change or mobility nor do the more conventional elite display any exceptional talents or virtues. Thus, the upper white class display artificial aristocracy in Jackson, and Skeeter can be seen as an anomaly because she tries to create change that would only hinder her social

Skeeter is a compassionate supporter of equal rights. While other members of the elite white class treat their help disdainfully by restricting their rights at work or issuing demands impersonally such as when a husband harshly says “make me a sandwich” to Clark (The Help), Skeeter is amiable and frequently greets them or talks to them during in the kitchen during social events. Additionally, Skeeter has a profound connection to the black woman, Constance, who took care of her during her childhood and weeps when her mother tells her that has died. After the book is released, Skeeter faces anger from other members of the white upper class, this is seen when Minnie tells Skeeter to go to New York for a job opportunity because, “You ain’t got nothing left here but enemies in the Junior League” (The Help). The Junior League is a philanthropic organization whose membership is traditionally comprised of upper class females, and the movie features several junior league events and meetings; the women that Skeeter has most angered belong to this organization with Skeeter. Thus, when Skeeter decides to write a story about the black help’s struggles in Jackson, this appears to be an act of selflessness and kindness to help improve the mobility of the