“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett has many interesting and strong characters, however, Aibileen is the most intriguing out of all. She is one of the strongest and bravest characters with a heart of gold. The author was able to effectively use the character’s personal traits and relationships with others to express one of the themes of the novel. For example, Aibileen’s relationship with Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan and Minny Jackson was used to convey the theme of racial inequality and civil rights. In addition, Aibileen’s relationship with Mae Mobley is used to convey the message of self love.
The author used the relationship between Aibileen and Skeeter to convey the theme of racial inequality because their friendship was able to overcome the issues of racial segregation.…show more content… “ ‘You is kind,’ she say, ‘you is smart’. You is important.” ( 705). This quote represents Mae Mobleys character developing a sense of self love and importance from Aibileen's teachings. Aibileen’s heart of gold evolved with her attachment and care for Mae Mobley despite their racial differences. The love she has for Mae Mobley is incomparable with what Mae Mobley’s mother even feels for her. Despite the child's unpleasant outward appearance, Aibileen accepts Mae Mobley for who she truly is. Throughout the novel, Aibileen is always teaching Mae Mobley to have confidence in herself and to believe how special she is since her own mother constantly neglects her. Aibileen’s bravery is apparent when she teaches Mae Mobley about racial inequality and civil rights. Aibileen is willing to take the risk of losing her job and the possibility of losing her life as well in trying to teach Mae Mobley about the social and racial injustice of the world. She believes change is possible and something needs to be done about the huge social, political, and economic gap between blacks and
