Events of The Help

Chapter 1 - Aibileen

• introduction of Aibileen who cares for Mae Mobley

• Treelore died- bitter seed

• bridge club discuss home help sanitation initiative + Celia

• Skeeter speaks to Aibileen about resistance

Chapter 2 - Aibileen

• Minny introduced (on the bus)

• Aibileen tells Minny she is getting fired

• Elizabeth starts building Aibileen's bathroom

• Aibileen kitchen scene

• Celia calls Elizabeth (and Aibileen recommends Minny)

• Aibileen talks about repeating cycle of racism- Mae Mobley

• Bitter seed

Chapter 3 - Minny

• Minny goes to Celia's house

• Flashback, Minny gets told of future as a maid

• Celia talks of past in Sugar Ditch

Chapter 4 - Minny

• Celia has cooking lessons

• Minny disses Celia for being lazy- isolation

• Celia Sugar Ditch nightmare

• Introduction of the Mimosa Tree

• Minny hides from Mr Johnny

Chapter 5 - Skeeter

• Skeeter recounts time at Ole Miss, worries about Hilly's threat to throw her out of the league

• Skeeter berated by her mother for her looks, talk about Fanny Peatrow

• Skeeter worries that she will never be able to get a job due to her mother

• Skeeter memories

• Skeeter is resistant to include the initiative in the newsletter

• Skeeter's awareness of her whiteness due to reflections on relationship with Constantine (flashback)

• Job advertisements

• Constantine flashback

• Skeeter flashback about going off to college/graduation

Chapter 6 - Skeeter

• Skeeter banned books

• Elaine Stein writes to Skeeter, giving her advice to get a job at the newspaper

• Skeeter job interview- Miss Myrna

• Charlotte worries Skeeter is a lesbian

• Skeeter asks Aibileen to help her with the column

• Aibileen reveals that Constantine had a child, who had pale skin as Constantine's father was white

• Skeeter confronts her mother, dismisses it as ‘a coloured thing’

• Skeeter goes to Hilly's football party, and talks about Skeeter's date with Stuart

• The line

Chapter 7 - Aibileen

• relationship between MM and Aibileen = MM says she loves her, affirmations

• MM is being potty trained, but runs to Aibileen's bathroom and gets hit by Elizabeth

• Aibileen grows angry over the cycle of racism MM is subject to

• Acknowledges Skeeter’s ignorance

• Anniversay of Treelore’s death

• Louvenia's grandson, Robert got beaten and blinded for using a white bathroom in town

• Skeeter introduces the idea of interviewing the maids over their experiences but Aibileen refuses

Chapter 8 - Skeeter

• Flashback of Miss Stein speaking to Skeeter on the phone about the idea of the book = Skeeter lies and said the maids had agreed

• Skeeter tries to bribe Aibileen for personal gain to get her to do the book

• Shinalator

• Aibileen first moment of resistance, doesn’t immediately say thank you

Chapter 9 - Skeeter

• On the way to her date, Skeeter's appearance gets messed up, and Hilly fixes it.

• Stuart goggles at Celia

• Stuart and Skeeter argue about women's education and his drunkenness

• Aibileen agrees to the book due to Miss Hilly's actions effecting both MM and Minny, bitter seed

Chapter 10 - Minny

• both Minny and Celia are scared of Johnny finding out about Minny = Minny is frustrated

• Robert has nightmares

• Aibileen introduces the idea of the book to Minny - repetition of word 'truth'

• Celia sends Minny home due to wanting to hide her miscarriage = Celia apologises the next day

• Mimosa tree

• introduction of Johnny with his axe

• Celia isolation

Chapter 11 - Skeeter

• Skeeter has the first interview with Aibileen = Aibileen is hesitant, restricted speech

• Aibileen introduces the idea of her writing her own story but Skeeter dismisses this

• Aibileen writes her story, reads it out, then Skeeter retypes it

Chapter 12 - Skeeter

• resistance through writing of both Skeeter and Aibileen

• resistance books

• Elizabeth reveals at a meeting with Hilly and Skeeter that she is pregnant

• Miss Stein calls Skeeter and tells her she will read the manuscript if Skeeter gets more interviews = talks about benefitting off the Civil Rights Movement

• Skeeter apologises for raising her voice at Aibileen about the interviews

• Minny agrees to be interviewed on conditions = Minny challenges Skeeter's intentions

Chapter 13 - Skeeter

• Stuart comes to see Skeeter and asks her to go on a date with him

• Skeeter goes to the library to get book for Aibileen = reflects on her growing resistance through taking Jim Crow law books and the power of writing

• Skeeter accidentally leaves her satchel (full of the books from the library) at the league meeting

Chapter 14 - Aibileen

• Skeeter ignorance to Minnys situation

• description of Hilly and her children = redeeming quality?

• Aibileen says to Hilly she agrees with desegregation = growing verbal resistance, can’t argue with the government

• Aibileen describes white women's tools of destruction

• Skeeter tells Aibileen about the satchel situation = Aibileen stills wants to continue with the book, showing her growing resistance

• it is revealed that Medgar Evans was shot by the KKK that evening = verbal resistance has consequences

Chapter 15 - Aibileen

• Elizabeth's mum comes to stay = cycles of abuse

• Aibileen tells MM a story about equality between 2 girls = verbal resistance

• at a pool party, Hilly tells Skeeter she found the library books in Skeeter's bag, Miss Leefolt people pleaser but Skeeter manages to deflect

Chapter 16 - Aibileen

• Aibileen attends a community concerns meeting, where people start questioning religion's ability to protect them against racism

• Yule May education discussed, tells Aibileen that she is interested in helping with the book

Chapter 17 - Minny

• Celia is calling up members of the League to no response = pressures of social acceptance/isolation

• Celia/white womens ignorance to black problems

• Minny reflects on the power of storytelling, to prevent experiences of racism for her daughters, difficulties of resistance

• Leroy DV behaviours

• Minny lashes out at Celia over her drinking (what Minny thinks is alcohol) and declares they are not friends

Chapter 18 - Minny

• Minny finds Celia having a miscarriage = breakdown of barriers between them due to share trauma

• Doctor- hysterical women stereotype

Chapter 19 - Skeeter

• Progress- mention of the pill

• Brutal consequences of resistance

• Stuart suggests to Skeeter that she goes away with him = Skeeter reflects on the protection he gives her from societal judgement, virginity

• mention of Valium

• Yule May writes a letter to Skeeter explaining that she stole from Hilly for her sons' tuition and now cannot send her children to college = loss of potential

• at a meeting at Aibileen's house, several maids tell Skeeter that they want to help with the book

• Skeeter interviews the women

• Gretchen (a maid) challenges Skeeter's intentions for the book

Chapter 20 - Skeeter

• the Phelan family goes to Stuart's house to meet his family = generational trauma

• Stuart reveals what happened with Patricia, breaks up with Skeeter

Chapter 21 - Skeeter

• Skeeter wants to feel frozen inside due to her heartbreak

• Book is coming together

• at a league meeting, hilly confronts skeeter about not putting the home help initiative in the newsletter, argue about Stuart + Civil Rights

Chapter 22 - Aibileen

• MM birthday, Miss Leefolt criticism, doll, MM calls Aibileen mama

• Toilets on Hilly’s lawn

• ironic talk between Hilly + Leefolt about racists

Chapter 23 - Aibileen

• MLK holds the March on Washington, yet in Birmingham, Alabama a church is blown up, killing 4 children = consequences of resistance

• Aibileen tells MM a story about MLK through the means of an alien with green skin = spoken resistance

• Celia comes to Elizabeth's house to offer help for the Benefit but gets refused and offered tickets instead

• Celia slips that her maid is Minny, accidentally revealing Aibileen's deception

Chapter 24 - Minny

• Minny ends up being blamed for the entire recommendation fiasco

• Minny has bad injuries from Leroy abusing her whilst sober, colour differences

• Celia makes Minny a coffee = breakdown of social barriers

• a man tries to attack Minny and Celia = Celia fights him off with a fire poker (description of her w/o makeup), breaks stereotypes

• Aibileen and Minny speak about the breakdown of barriers between the white women and black women, the line

• Celia doesn't like Skeeter due to the comments by League members

• Description of Celia's benefit outfit, sexualisation, MM

Chapter 25 - Benefit

• Celia is objectified by the Husbands

• semantic field of dismemberment

• Demonisation of female sexuality

• Celia isolation

• Celia/Hilly/Johnny

• Members spread lies about celia = social exclusion = power of words

• Hilly wins Minny's pie as her mother bids on it in Hilly's name = broken relationship between mother and daughter

Chapter 26 - Minny

• Minny comforts Celia over her behaviour at the League = growing solidarity

• Celia isolation

• Minny explains the revenge pie to Celia as threatens to go back to Sugar Ditch

• Mimosa tree is cut down

Chapter 27 - Skeeter

• President Kennedy has been assassinated

• Skeeter calls Miss Stein, who tells her that the book must be completed by January and contain Constantine's story

• Flashback to Skeeter being kicked out the league = consequences of resistance

• Elizabeth describes MM as a 'weed' to Skeeter

• Skeeter goes to a league meeting but is heavily excluded

• Stuart visits Skeeter and tells her he saw Patricia (his ex fiancé) who had changed significantly as she was now wearing hippie clothes = describes her as a wh0re

• Skeeter describes both loving and hating Stuart at the same time

• Skeeter and Aibileen decide on the title 'Help'

• Charlotte reveals she dislikes Stuart = breakdown of barriers between mother and daughter

• Aibileen tells Skeeter that Constantine sent her daughter to an orphanage, and they were reunited when she was an adult

• Skeeter describes how she thinks Constantine caring for a white child filled the deficit of not caring for her own child

• Skeeter confronts her mother about Constantine

• Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny discuss the dangers of the book, so they put the revenge pie story in the book as protection from Hilly

• Skeeter sends the book to Miss Stein

Chapter 28 - Skeeter

• Charlotte's description of control over Skeeter after death

• Skeeter let’s Stuart kiss her

• Skeeter changes her appearance by wearing a shorter dress and straightening her hair

• Stuart proposes, Skeeter tells him about the book and he withdraws his proposal

• The book is approved for a small advance = Minny is worried about the social repercussions of the book

Chapter 29 - Aibileen

• Aibileen worries she will loose her job and the children at Elizabeth's

• description of Elizabeth's hatred for MM

• MM challenges her teacher's racism due to her teaching from Aibileen

• description of skeeter who has drastically changed her appearance to be more hippie

• skeeter arrives with copies of 'Help'

• Miss Leefolt bible for show

• Aibileen says that Leroy will not hit Minny when she's pregnant = children as saviours

• the church gives Skeeter a signed copy of the book as a thank you = they say they love her like she's their own family

• the book is talked about on a TV show so Elizabeth hears about it and rushes to buy it = suffering as entertainment

Chapter 30 - Minny

• Minny is given a permanent job = breakdown of barriers between Minny, Celia and Johnny

• Leroy threatens Minny

Chapter 31 - Aibileen

• MM colours herself black as what she likes about herself best

• Aibileen and Louvenia in supermarket, overhear women talking about book

Chapter 32 - Minny

• Leroy violent behaviour, children as saviours

• Hilly is telling the white women to fire their maids

Chapter 33 - Skeeter

• Skeeter lists her achievements in her resume = all achievements are due to the work of black women, scared of not being able to leave

• Charlotte says the only cure for cancer is having a child who conforms

• Skeeter takes mild accountability

• Lou Anne

• Skeeter describes the change to her life after writing the book = growth of resistance

• Hilly comes over (and is fatter with a cold sore) to confront Skeeter but is shooed away by Charlotte

• Skeeter has a job offer to New York

Chapter 34 - Aibileen

• Hilly is defiant that the book is not about Jackson, Aibileen paranoia

• MM plays a game with Ross about Rosa Parks

• Aibileen gets the Miss Myrna job

• Maids encourage Skeeter to go to NY

• Minny is beaten by Leroy as he looses his job due to Hilly's husband saying the book was written by Minny

• Aibileen is fired

• MM is described as stuck in the cycle and Hilly is described as being stuck in an internal prison