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Allie Rupp
Mr. Phillips
Cultural Media Literacy Honors
22 May 2016
A Swing and A Miss
If the only thing that mattered in a movie were its good intentions, then "The Help"
would be the greatest story ever told- Joe Williams (movie critic). Director Tate Taylor, who
had no mainstream success before directing The Help, attempted to create a film that shows
African American womens triumph over adversity in the most racist part of America in the
1960s; the deep south. Unfortunately, such an important message cannot possibly be sent
through a median that is essentially white washing the history of the Civil Rights movement
and rebirthing tired stereotypes. Many cast members of The Help have spoken out about the
films backlash calling the film a story about relationships and triumph but the entire story
line feeds off the momentum of the civil rights movement and yet fails to bring to light many of
the movements key characteristics. The Help is a feel good film with terrific acting by bright
actresses, but ultimately it fails to accurately display the troubling time period with dynamic
characters.
By the time the film The Help was released it had been 72 years since Hattie
McDaniels portal of the Mammy in Gone with the Wind. "Why should I complain about
making $7,000 a week playing a maid? If I didn't, I'd be making $7 a week being one." Hatti is
quoted saying when asked about her controversial role that lead to an academy award. In the
1930s this role was accepted more as a norm but in 2011, such a role was bound to raise
some eyebrows. Main domestic workers the plot follows are Abeline (Viola Davis) and Minnie

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(Octavia Spencer). Abeline narrates the story and is the best representation of the infamous
Mammy stereotype. As a slightly obese, loving servant with no breath of sexuality evoked in
her character, Abeline spends her time raising a young girl named Mae Mobley whose mother
is uninterested in her daughter and would rather play bridge with her friends. Abeline teachs the
girl everything from how to use a toilet to loving yourself with her famous quote you is kind
you is smart you is important. Abeline never challenges her circumstances directly; only partly
by sharing her story illegally with Skeeter. She lives to raise children, evident when she states
she has raised 17 children throughout her life. Abeline is also completely desexualized, with no
male even mentioned to have a relationship with her besides her son who passed away. Abeline
is an incredibly sympathetic reincarnation of The Mammy, but then theres Minnie. Minnie,
another domestic worker the story line follows, is much sassier than Abeline, and asserts herself
multiple times in the story. She shows she can and will stand up for herself, in her job but not
her home that is. We never see Minnies husband LeRoy, but through a phone conversation
with Abeline we understand that he is being physically abusing Minnie for not having a job
after being fired. Minnie does not stand up against LeRoy until her later employer Celia Foot
cooks her a lavish meal. Abeline narrates -That table of food gave Minnie the strength she
needed and she took her babies and left LeRoy. It is incredible unlikely that a meal would
convince Minnie to take her children and leave an abusive marriage she has been in for so long,
and even so it is yet another portrayal of African American women needing a white womans
help because she cannot help herself. And speaking of LeRoy, he is one of only 3 African
American Males who speak more than 4 words in the entire film. This in and of itself is
concerning as the civil rights movement was spurred by women and men, but frankly mostly
men as they had more influence in the time period. LeRoy embodies the ignoble/bloodthirsty

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savage, and as the only male who has a very personal relationship with one of the African
American women it sends an extremely negative message as to how black men acted in the
1960s. The only home life relationship of African Americans in this movie is the incredibly
negative one of LeRoy and Minnie. This perpetual use of stereotypes and failure to show a well
rounded picture of the African American family unit during the trying Civil Rights period is
just another reason the film doesnt speak to the untold story it claims to.
The film may accurately portray the time periods clothing and dialect, but it fails to
show the proactive struggles African Americans faced during the Civil Rights movement. The
Civil Rights era was about empowerment for the black community, and standing up for what
they deserve; basic human rights. The Help attempts to show similar ideas but the main girth
of the story discredits its attempts. The protagonist of the film is Skeeter, an inexperienced
fresh-out-of college writer who writes about Jackson Mississippis domestic laborers. She
interviews them to tell their story but this notion of the white savior is not at all in
correspondence with the time period. African Americans who wanted to get their voice heard
in the 1960s had to join organizations such as SNCC and CORE and stage sit-ins or hike mile
long marches. There was no one writing a book on how they felt; this was not a time period of
words it was a period of actions. Freedom summer, a massive voting project throughout
Missippi, occurred less than a year after the films story and up until it the Civil Rights
movement was a hot topic in Mississippi, not something nobody cared to talk about as
suggested in The Help by every character except Skeeter. Also, in the 1960s the violence of
the Civil Rights movement was at its highest, with massive riots breaking out around the
country. Yet, you dont get this sense form the film. There are subtle hints to violence
occurring, such as seeing a paper with Emmet Tills name in the headline, but it is as if it is

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simply not happening in Jackson, as if Jackson is living in a bubble. The only violence we see
is that between Minnie and her husband, and the film makers choice to have the violence
focused on an interrelationship with African Americans is incredibly ignorant to the time
period. White on black violence was a huge part of the movement, and the only time it is shown
at all in the film is subtly in conversation and in the newspaper. Jackson Mississippi was not its
own bubble during the 1960s, in fact it was a hub of violence and activism that is simply
absent from The Helps interpretation of the historic city.
There is no doubt that the film The Help intended to show powerful friendships
during one of Americas darkest hours, and that it does. However, the repetition of African
American stereotypes throughout Hollywood cannot be ignored, especially in a film set in the
Civil Rights Era. This film had an incredible task; accurately represent the dynamic African
American community and its experience in Mississippi in the heat of the Civil Rights
movement. It did try, but ultimately it was unsuccessful.

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Works Cited
"Another Black Feminist Critique of the Film The Help." NO! The Rape Documentary. Web.
13 May 2016.
"Why I'm Just Saying No to 'The Help' and Its Historical Whitewash." Colorlines. 2011.
Web. 13 May 18
Fitgerald, Terrence. "Rampaging "The Help" Movie: Stereotypes and More."Racism Review.
2011. Web. 14 May 2016.16.
France, Lisa Respers. "Cover Story: Is 'The Help' Heroic or Stereotyping?" CNN. Cable News
Network, 2011. Web. 20 May 2016.
"The Help: Perpetuating the Mammy Stereotype & Limiting Roles in Film." Her Circle. Web.
18 May 2016.
Holloway, Lynette. "The Help Movie: Black Women Historians Slam 1960s Race Drama." The
Root. 2011. Web. 20 May 2016.
McWhorter, John. "The Help Isnt Racist. Its Critics Are." New Republic. Web. 15 May 2016.
"World Socialist Web Site." The Help: A Civil Rights Era Film That Ignores the Civil Rights
Movement -. Web. 20 May 2016.
"The Help." Washington Post. The Washington Post. Web. 15 May 2016.
"Stereotypical Characters Hurt 'The Help'" Stltoday.com. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Mammy Stereotype | A Critical Review of the Novel The Help." A Critical Review of the
Novel The Help. Web. 20 May 2016.