Sexism in The Help
Sexism was a normal part of life in the 1960’s. The Help, which takes place during that time period, presents evidence of this throughout the novel. Written by Kathryn Stockett, it features primarily female characters, which helps to illustrate this point. Many of the characters experience sexism in some way, but Skeeter and Celia were two of the most affected by it. Sexist stereotypes affect both of them, but Skeeter deals with sexism from greater external forces, while Celia places most of them on herself.
One major character that demonstrated the common sexism of the time period is Skeeter. She is a privileged white woman, but even with the advantages that come with this, she still faces frequent prejudice due to the normality of
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Most of it comes from sexist stereotypes she has seen directed toward other people in her lifetime, with her needlessly projecting it onto herself.. For instance, she hires Minny so that her husband, Johnny, believes that she is a good wife. She tells Minny that she wants “him to think [she] can do it on [her] own”, so “he thinks [she is] worth the trouble,” (Stockett 44) revealing her insecurities about her skills and ability to be a good wife. Since white women were normally seen as only useful around the house, she thinks that that is all she is good for, even though Johnny does not agree, as shown when he tells Minny that he “doesn’t care if she can cook” and that he “just wants her here…with him” (162). In an effort to stop him from finding out the truth, she goes out of her way to cover things up, like when she wanted to bury a burnt cake deep in the trash and intentionally burn the chicken to not cause suspicion. This intense need to prove herself to her husband gets in the way of a normal life, because she has to unnecessarily hide things and damage others to keep Johnny thinking she is close to