The Help, Post # 3: The Social Status of Women

Throughout this novel, there are several examples of the poor social status and negative stereotypes that existed for women at the time. Unfortunately, many of these unflattering ideas about women still exist in some people's minds. In The Help, however, this theme is far more prevalent than in our modern and liberal town of Deerfield. The fact that women are looked down upon in their society is made clear at multiple points in the book, whether it be Celia Foote trying desperately to make her home as beautiful as possible and fill her husband's stomach with delicious and flawlessly cooked meals with the help of her maid Minny, or whether it be the judgmental reaction people have to the fact that Skeeter is more interested in working and becoming a journalist than she is in getting married. One moment that particularly captures that attitude of women being inferior to men and not belonging in the workplace, occurred when Skeeter was on a double date with Hilly, Hilly's husband William, and a young, arrogant man named Stuart. Skeeter is the kind of girl that works hard and doesn't let others intimidate or discourage her in the many ambitious endeavors she sets out on. She is working at a newspaper, writing the domestic maintenance column in an effort to work her way up to the role of a news journalist. When she tells her date about her college degree and current place of employment, however, he is less than supportive of her ambition. He makes one snide and insulting comment after another, staring with, "Domestic maintenance. You mean… housekeeping? Jesus. I can't think of anything worse than reading a column on how to clean house, except maybe writing one," (118). He goes on to say, "Sounds like a ploy to me, to find a husband. Becoming an expert on keeping house," (118) and then further insults her by discrediting her college education in journalism by asking, "Isn't that what you women from Ole Miss major in? Professional husband hunting?" (118). Luckily, Skeeter is a quick witted young woman and didn't let him bring her down, simply spitting an insult back at him by saying, "I'm sorry, but were you dropped on your head as an infant?" (119). The most troubling part of this whole conversation is that it is so easy for Stuart to insult a woman and feel as if he can easily tare down her self-esteem when it comes to her right to have a career and be a self sufficient woman without needing a man to lean on and to tell her what to do. Although we have made immense strides in our modern society in America in terms of the status and rights of women and their equality to men, there are many parts of the world where the situation is far worse than even in this novel. Fortunately, Americans have paved the way for women to be taken seriously and to hold even higher places in society than men sometimes. After all, Hilary Clinton was nearly elected for President of the United States of America. So hopefully any women that are spoken to like this in our modern day society have the confidence and self-assurance to spit an insult at the man who doubted her rights and abilities just as Skeeter does.