The Help Minny Jackson Character Analysis

Minny Jackson’s distinctive role in “The Help”

The novel “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett deals with the living circumstances in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s, and focuses on the lives of two housemaids, Minny Jackson and Aibileen Clark, as well as Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a young white college graduate, whose aim it is to write a book about the circumstances and the experiences of the “Help” in white families. The three characters take turns narrating the events happening in the novel, and occasionally bring in inner monologues in the form of their own thoughts and memories. One of them, Minny Jackson stands out from the rest of the characters, because of the language she employs. She utilizes Vernacular American English, like the other housemaids, but her use of the language varies and has a certain impact. Thus, I proposed this thesis statement to be the focus of my essay:

Despite using African American Vernacular like the other housemaids appearing in Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help”, Minny Jackson distinguishes herself through her distinct handling of the language in certain situations.

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In my opinion, the two aspects are necessary in order to understand Minny’s character and the importance of the role she plays in the novel. They explicitly show the differences between her and the other housemaids. Minny’s use of both versions of English, African American Vernacular and Standard English makes her stand out from the other housemaids, because she is the only one using both idiolects in such as clear way. In addition, her employment of sarcasm and irony as well as her courage to stand up against her white bosses sets her apart from her fellow housemaids as well. Therefore, Minny Jackson is an influential character in this novel, whose importance becomes clear through her language and her behavior averse to her