Here are a couple of questions for you to think about:
1. When Mae Mobley grows up do you think she will view the help the same way that her mother does? Do you think that her mother will influence her opinion more than the relationship that she developed with Aibileen?
2. Do you consider Miss Hilly a good mother? Aibeleen admires Hilly's love for her children. If a mother is good at attending to their childrens' needs, but plants their own faulty belief system and opinions in their child's head, is that a good mother?
3. Looking at the norms of the society around the setting of the story, is it possible to forgive these characters for following others in their racist attitudes and behaviors?
4. In the future, are their norms in our society that we should be questioning? What kinds of questions should we be asking ourselves?
5. Who is your favorite character? Why? Were there any characters that you couldn't stand? Why?
6. Did you think that the friendships that were formed realistic? What about Skeeter and Aibileen? Celia and Minny?
6. How do you think Skeeter, Hilly, and Elizabeth deal with their own insecurity?
7. The race tackled race and class in the novel. Why didn't the other white woman care for Celia? How did Celia handle this behavior? Why do you think Skeeter eventually turned her back on her upbringing?
8. The editor at Harper and Row tells Skeeter to write about something that disturbs her. Skeeter begins to write about the help. What do you think Skeeter might find disturbing in our society and write about if she was alive today?
9. President Kennedy tells the mayor of Jackson that he needs to do better after a black man , Medgar Evers, is killed in town. The mayor refuses. What does that say about our Nation, President, and town governments?
10. Skeeter sneaks books from the white library for Aibeleen. Skeeter steels the laws of Jim Crow and the book of Frederick Douglas that has been vandalized. What does this tell us about the library system at this time?
11. Skeeter goes to Aibeleen's house for the first interview but it doesn't go well. Later, Skeeter finds that Aibeleen has a gift for storytelling and that there will be few edits for her piece. What qualities do good story tellers such as Aibeleen possess? How does this help Skeeter succeed with her quest?
12. Skeeter attempts to do her part to make her mother and friends happy by going out on a date with Stuart Whitworth. Stuart is arrogant and Skeeter's reaction is only natural. How would the impact of the story have changed if they got along and ended up married?
13. Robert was beaten severely for using the white bathroom at a local lawn and garden. Why do you think that the author included this point in the story?
14. Why do you think Celia doesn't tell Johnny when Minny is hired? Johnny stumbles on Minny and isn't surprised that she has been working all along. What are some of his non-selfish reasons that he is glad to have Minny working in the house?
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI've already finished the book so I'll try not to spoil anything.
First off, I really enjoyed the book, it was one the better ones that I've read in a while.
Aibleen really instilled great life values in Mae Mobley so I think Mae Mobley will grow up viewing the help more like how Skeeter viewed them. I also admire Skeeter in the book. She was able to look past skin color and view Aibleen and Minny as friends. She treated them like how she'd treat Elizabeth. Mrs. Celia was also surprisingly warm towards Minny. This goes to show that not everyone was completely racist back then.
Have Fun reading guys!
-Abiba Salahou