Racism And Discrimination In The 1950's

When you think of the 1950’s, what comes to mind? When I think of the 1950’s, racism and discrimination come to my mind. African Americans had been going through discrimination for many years. Not everyone has pleasant things to say about this time period. Hiram Hillburn from the novel Mississippi Trial, 1995 and Skeeter from the film The Help have experienced racism in their own ways. Hiram and Skeeter are similar, yet different in many aspects. This essay will cover the similarities and differences of both characters and what it was like for them to be living in this time period.
Hiram Hillburn, age 16, is the main character in the novel Mississippi Trial, 1955. He was raised by his Grandpa in Greenwood Mississippi for most of his childhood. Hiram has many good personality traits. For example, one of the traits that I see in Hiram is that he is accepting towards others. He doesn’t judge people based on the color of their skin. Other than being accepting, Hiram is also caring. He cares for the health of his Grandpa and he cares for the relationship that his

Skeeter is a 23 year old white intelligent woman. She lives in Jackson Mississippi. Skeeter was raised by a colored maid named Constantine. Skeeter has a very strong and loving bond with Constantine. She even quotes in the film that Constantine was more of a mother figure to her than her actual mom. Throughout the film we see how bold and courageous Skeeter is. Despite the strict rules the town of Jackson has with coloreds and whites, this doesn’t stop Skeeter from doing what she believes in. Skeeter’s determination and bravery is what stood out the most. Skeeter has a passion for creating a book that will represent the struggles and the everyday lives that maids deal with. She knows how dangerous creating this book will be but she also understands that she can possibly be the gateway to the future of these