The Help Journal 2 by Kathryn Stockett

Here is journal two of the Help. Feel free to comment below your thoughts and enjoy!

The Help Journal 2

Overview (chapters 11-24)

-Skeeter interviews Aibileen for the book for the first time. It doesn't work out well

-Aibileen writes out her story and gives it to Skeeter

-Skeeter mails Aibileen's interview to Miss Stein

-Miss Stein gives Skeeter the thumbs up to write her book

-Minny agrees to have Skeeter interview her

-Minny get's interviewed

-Stuart comes to apologize to Skeeter, and after blowing him off, she reconsiders and they go on a successful date

-Skeeter finds a book about the law separating blacks and whites

-Hilly finds Skeeter's book of laws

-Medgar Evers, a well-known black man, is shot by the KKK in Minny and Aibileen's neighborhood

-Minny finds Miss Celia drinking what she thinks is alcohol in the "creepy bedrooms"

-Miss Celia has a miscarriage for the fourth time

-Yule May goes to jail for stealing Miss Hilly's silver to get her boys to college

-11 maids agree to be interviewed by Skeeter. This was Minny's doings

-Skeeter visits Stuart's parents house with her family in tow

-Skeeter and Stuart get into a fight and decide to take a break

-Skeeter makes sure Miss Hilly gets around 30 old toilets dumped in her yard by messing up a word when she prints the Home Help Sanitation Initiative in the League paper

-Miss Celia buys tickets for the Banquet 

-Miss Celia beats up a naked white man to save Minny outside her 
house

-Miss Celia gets ready for the Banquet, but she will get made fun of

Reading Response

I am pleased by how Skeeter's character has developed in the middle of the book. It seems that risk brings out the depth to Miss Skeeter personality. I like how now she sees what the maids see. She notices little things Miss Hilly and Miss Leffolt do with the maids that she did not before. She notices how Hilly raises her voice 3 octaves higher when she talks to the help. Skeeter is suspicious of anything they do now that she knows how they treat their help. I am now sure that Skeeter and Stuart are not meant to be together. I felt bad for Stuart when he came back to apologize to Skeeter, but when i learned about Patricia I knew that he was not ready to date Skeeter. I also did not like the aura surrounding his family when Skeeter visited. They seemed very uncomfortable. A part that disturbed me was Miss Celia's miscarriage. It was very graphic, a little too much. I would have gotten the point without all the detail. I was also disappointed that  that was the big mystery surrounding Miss Celia. However, I definitely was not expecting her to be able to beat up the naked man outside her house! That was the biggest surprise in the middle of the book! I am so pleased for Skeeter that she finally has enough maids to finish her book, and I'm excited and nervous to see how that plays out. It's obvious how much Skeeter is learning in this process, as well as how much the maids really do like pouring out their stories. I am glad Hilly only saw the law book in Skeeter's satchel when she left it at the bridge game. However, I have a bad feeling about what Miss Hilly now thinks of Skeeter. I hope she doesn't blow the whole thing up!

Discussion Generator

1. Why do you think Aibileen feels more comfortable writing her life story for Skeeter rather than telling her?

2. Do you think Skeeter and Stuart are meant for each other? 

3. What are the reasons for Miss Hilly's anger towards Miss Celia?

Aibileen shares with Miss Skeeter that she writes down her prayers to God. Sometimes she writes for one or two hours each day. Apparently, Aibileen's prayers are special. Whoever she prays for gets healed, helped, or saved. I think for this reason she is more comfortable writing down her life story for Skeeter. Even though Skeeter is upset that it is Aibileen who is doing most of the writing and she is only editing, I believe that is it helping Aibileen. It must be therapeutic to write out your life story. At first, Miss Skeeter tried to talk Aibileen out of writing out her stories. "Writings not that easy. And you wouldn't have time for this anyways, Aibileen, not with a full time job." But Aibileen was persisntent. Miss Stein in New York says she likes the writing of Sarah Ross, the name Aibileen chose for herself in her story. She must be a fantastic writer!

Significant Passages

"These is white rules. I don't know which ones you following and which ones you ain't."

page 180 paragraph 3

Miss Skeeter has been interviewing Aibileen for her book. Aibileen has decided to write down and read it to Skeeter, she feels it's easier for her that way. When Skeeter and Aibileen come to agreement on this, everything is sailing fairly smoothly. At one of their sessions, Aibileen tells Skeeter, "I's thinking I ought to do some reading. Might help me with my own writing." Skeeter tells her to go down to the State Library, but Aibileen explains how colored folks are not aloud in there. Skeeter says, "I'll be glad to pick the books up for you." Aibileen gets her a list, including To Kill A Mockingbird, The Souls of Black Folk, Poems by Emily Dickinson, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Skeeter gets the nerve to ask, "Aibileen how long have you been wanting to ask me this? If I'd check these books out for you?". Aibileen replies, "A while. Guess I's was afraid to mention it. "Did you think I'd day no?" "These is white rules. I don't know which ones you following and which ones you ain't. 

This passage is important because it shows that Aibileen is relaxing around Miss Skeeter, and finally realizing she is different from the other white ladies. Aibileen feels comfortable enough if she asks Skeeter for this favor. A friendship is on the horizon. 

2. "Fact, a white lady might do worse."

page 301 paragraph 4

Skeeter has finally gotten enough ladies to interview to finish the book. It took Yule May's being in jail and a little prodding from Minny to get them volunteering. On this night, Skeeter is interviewing a shy lady named Winnie in Aibileen's home. Winnie asks Aibileen what would happen if people find out about them. She goes on to tell a story of her husband's cousin who got her tongue taken out for talking about the Klan. She worries that that might happen to her if she gets found out. Skeeter tries to reassure her that they are being extremeley careful, but it comes out thin and un-convincing. Aibileen says, "We won't know till the time comes, Winnie. Won't be like you see on the news though. A white lady do things different than a white man." Winnie replies, "Naw I reckon not. Fact, a white lady might do worse."

This passage is important because it really shows how dangerous 
the interviews are. If they get caught, they will be reported. A white lady would press charges. She would make sure anywhere you went you were haunted by a bad reputation. She would get the food taken off your table, and your kids out of the school system. She would cause accidents and horrors. A white man might take a gun and shoot you, but a white lady would do the same, without any blood shed. They like to keep their hands clean.                                                                  

3. "You one of em to. All the babies I tend to, I count as my own."

page 335 paragraph 3

Mae Mobley is finally three years old. It's her birthday, and even though her momma does not care enough to be around on the first birthday she'll remember, Aibileen is there from the second she wakes up. Aibileen has made her her favorite cake, straweberry. She's gotten a big doll, the one she wanted. While she's eating her cake she asks Aibileen, "Do you have some babies?" Aibileen laughs, "I got seventeen of em." Mae Mobley does not know how to count that high yet, but she knows this is a big number. "Where are the babies?" "All over town. All the babies I done looked after." Mae Mobley is trying hard to figure out how this could be possible. Finally Aibileen give her a little explanation, "You one of em to. All the babies I tend to, I count as my own."

This passage may not be the most important in the storyline of the book, but I think it tells so much about Aibileen. Aibileen is portrayed as a wise, older, mother type character. Her love for her deceased child, Treelore, is mentioned many times in the book. 
What strikes me as so loving is that she calls each child she has looked after her own. Even when they're older now, no longer blind to colors, she still calls them one of her own children. I think this shows just how big a heart she has and how much love and wisdom she has to go around. 

Real World Application 

In this section of the story, Minny gets beaten up by her husband, Leroy. She has big cuts and bruises. When she goes into work, she tries to tell Miss Celia it's from slipping in the bath rub, but Miss Celia knows its something else. Minny is used to being beaten by Leroy, but she knows it's because he's usually drunk. This time, he was drop dead sober. In reality people in this day and age still get beaten. It's a sad tragedy that even in this day and age we still do not treat the people we love with respect. 

-ShewolfLia17