The Help: Rhetorical analysis and discussion of Kathryn Stockett’s portraits of the protagonists in the Help
Author
Hansen, Louise Østenkær
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-05-28
Pages
65
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan Kathryn Stockett skildrer de tre hovedpersoner – Skeeter, Aibileen og Minny – i romanen The Help, og hvad disse skildringer betyder. En historisk ramme opsummerer centrale begivenheder i USA fra borgerkrigen i 1861 til præsident Obamas indsættelse i 2012 og giver den kontekst, analysen bygger på. Specialet anvender retoriske værktøjer: dramatistisk kritik (ser på roller, motiver og konflikter som i et drama) og narrativ retorisk kritik (hvordan fortællinger overbeviser og former læserens sympatier). Med disse metoder analyseres, hvordan personerne i Jackson deles op i hvide og sorte, gode og onde. Analysen af Skeeter viser, at hun adskiller sig fra de andre hvide kvinder i Jackson som ambitiøs, karriereorienteret og empatisk, men at hun ikke er den borgerrettighedsforkæmper, hun umiddelbart kan fremstå som. Hun handler egoistisk ved at forlade de afroamerikanske stuepiger i Jackson for at følge sine drømme i New York. Hendes naivitet over for den risiko, stuepigerne løber ved at hjælpe med bogen, peger på manglende forståelse for deres virkelighed. En analytisk karakteristik af Aibileen og Minny viser, at Stockett på trods af et idealiseret fokus på deres personlige værdier anvender afroamerikanske stereotyper. Det præger opfattelsen af dem, men gør dem samtidig relaterbare for den hvide kvindelige læser, som specialet konkluderer er den tiltænkte modtager af The Help. Diskussionen gennemgår scener, hvor hovedpersonerne beskrives gennem deres egne stemmer, for at afdække, hvilket kulturelt perspektiv der dominerer i The Help. Perspektivet vurderes som etnocentrisk, fordi skildringerne ofte er stereotype eller er blevet kritiseret af fremtrædende medlemmer af det afroamerikanske samfund som racistiske eller uforstående. Fortællingens udvikling, der ender med at Skeeter forlader stuepigerne efter at have “reddet” dem, forstærker det etnocentriske blik ved at antyde, at stuepigerne havde behov for at blive reddet frem for selv at kunne redde sig. Specialet diskuterer også modtagelsen af The Help i USA, hvor dele af det afroamerikanske samfund har været stærkt kritiske og taget afstand fra Stocketts portræt af samfundet og afroamerikanerne. En kort sammenligning giver litterær kontekst: To Kill a Mockingbird deler flere temaer og er ligeledes blevet kritiseret for brug af stereotyper samt en hvid hovedperson som redningsfigur. Invisible Man af Ralph Ellison, som nævnes i The Help som inspiration for bogen “Help” i fortællingen, bruges til at diskutere internaliseret racisme og den kritik, begge værker har mødt, samtidig med at forskelle i hovedpersonsportræt, tone og stil fremhæves.
This thesis examines how Kathryn Stockett portrays the three protagonists—Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny—in The Help, and what these portrayals mean. A historical frame outlines key events in the United States from the Civil War in 1861 to President Obama’s inauguration in 2012, providing the context on which the analysis rests. The study uses rhetorical tools: dramatistic criticism (looking at roles, motives, and conflicts as in a drama) and narrative rhetorical criticism (how storytelling persuades and shapes readers’ sympathies). With these methods, it analyzes how people in Jackson are divided into white and Black, good and evil. The analysis of Skeeter shows that she differs from other white women in Jackson as ambitious, career-minded, and empathetic, but she is not the civil-rights champion she may appear to be. She acts selfishly by leaving the African American maids in Jackson to pursue her dreams in New York. Her naivety about the risks the maids take by helping with the book points to a lack of understanding of their reality. An analytical characterization of Aibileen and Minny finds that, despite an idealized focus on their personal values, Stockett employs African American stereotypes. This shapes how they are perceived, while also making them relatable to the white female reader, whom the thesis concludes is the intended audience of The Help. The discussion reviews scenes where the protagonists are described through their own voices to identify the dominant cultural perspective in The Help. The perspective is deemed ethnocentric, because many portrayals are stereotypical or have been criticized by prominent members of the African American community as racist or uncomprehending. The narrative arc—ending with Skeeter leaving the maids after having “saved” them—reinforces this ethnocentric view by suggesting the maids needed rescuing rather than rescuing themselves. The thesis also addresses the novel’s reception in the United States, noting strong criticism from parts of the African American community that distance themselves from Stockett’s portrayal of society and African Americans. A brief comparison provides literary context: To Kill a Mockingbird shares several themes and has likewise been criticized for using stereotypes and for positioning a white protagonist as a savior. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, which is mentioned in The Help as inspiration for the in-story book “Help,” is used to discuss internalized racism and the criticism both works have received, while also highlighting differences in protagonist portrayal, tone, and style.
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