37 I consider that the denial against African American women is a
discriminatory act practiced against them regarding their role as women. The denial itself is shown due to the image that the African American men still
maintain to show their power over their wives Jordan, n.d.: p. 1. Having known the situation, this section will discuss discriminatory acts frequently practiced
against African American women regarding their roles as women seen in the novel. Furthermore, this section also discusses the reasons underlying the
discriminatory acts.
1. Being the Victims of Domestic Violence by Husbands.
The Help clearly depicts African American women as tough and
responsible women since they are able to fulfill their roles as the breadwinners and the caregivers. However, it is also depicted that they also have to endure some
hardships regarding their ability to fulfill the roles. One of the hardships is domestic violence. Domestic violence, according to Jordan n.d, is an abusive
behavior in which a person uses harassment, coercion, and humiliation against his partner in order to show that the person still controls or shows power over his
partner p. 15. Jordan then adds that African American men tend to feel that they earn less money that their wives do p. 15. The feeling has driven African
American men to think that they have been emasculated, hence African American men often perform domestic violence to show that they still have the power to
control their families.
38 The Help
depicts some moments when African American women are exposed to domestic violence practiced by their husbands. The moments are
represented through the character Minny Jackson. Besides working as a domestic servant, Minny is also a wife and a mother to five children. Her husband, Leroy, is
described as a drunken and abusive man. The following lines may describe Leroy as a drunken and abusive man.
“Benny’s asthma has gotten a little better but Leroy came home last night smelling like Old Crow again. He pushed me hard and I bumped
my thigh on the kitchen table. He comes home like that ton ight, I’ll fix
him a knuckle sandwich for supper” p. 138
The quotation above implies that Leroy’s drinking habit has driven him to abuse Minny frequently. However, his drinking habit is not solely the reason he
often commits domestic violence against Minny. When Leroy finds out that Minny has made mistakes, he also attacks Minny terribly.
“They fired Leroy last night And when they ask why, his boss say Mister William Holbrook told him to do it. Holbrook told him it’s Leroy’s
nigger wife the reason and Leroy come home and try to kill me with his bare hands He throw the kids in the yard and lock me in the bathroom and
say he gone light the house on fire with me locked inside” pp. 445-446 Leroy gets terribly mad as he finds himself fired from his job because of
Minny. Minny is involved in a book project conducted by Skeeter, the white woman who is concerned about African American maids. The book which Skeeter
writes is Help. Help recalls the bittersweet experiences of African American domestic servants when they work for their white employers. Minny’s bitter
experience when working for Hilly Holbrook is written in the book. She tells in the book that she takes a revenge on Hilly for calling her a thief by asking Hilly to
39 eat chocolate pie made of human excrement p.346. Thus, as Hilly reads the
Minny’s part in the book, Hilly soon gets mad and asks her husband to fire Leroy. The unfair dismissal happening to Leroy has driven him to commit terrible
domestic violence against Minny. Leroy also gets angry if he finds Minny jobless. This is depicted when
Minny is fired by Hilly on grounds of stealing. Shortly after her unfair dismissal by Hilly, Minny has to struggle to find another job in order to support her family
financially. However, Hilly’s slander against Minny causes every white employer in Jackson to refuse to hire Minny. The condition frightens Minny as she believes
that Leroy is going to kill her if she does not find a new job p. 21. The moments when Leroy abuses Minny show that Leroy still maintains
to control his family. He knows that Minny also supports the family financially. However, he seems to be afraid that Minny will usurp his role as the patriarch of
the family due to Minny’s ability to earn money. He is also afraid that Minny will not respect him as a husband. The fear that Leroy has on Minny is depicted when
he says “if I didn’t hit you Minny, who knows what you become” p. 420. The quote shows that by committing domestic violence against Minny, Leroy still has
a lot of power to control his wife. Minny actually cannot stand the fact that Leroy uses violence to control
her. She hates the time when Leroy terribly abuses her. However, she does not have the courage to stop it.
“I know what people think. They think big strong Minny, she sure can stand up for herself. But they don’t know what a pathetic mess I turn
into when Leroy’s beating on me. I’m afraid to hit back. I’m afraid he’ll leave me if I do. I know it makes no sense and I get so mad at myself for
40 being so weak How can I love a man who beats me raw? Why do I love a
fool drunker?” p. 420
Minny is well-known for her tough and fearless personality among her friends. However, when it comes to her to face Leroy, she suddenly turns to be a
vulnerable and weak person. She is aware of the fact that she cannot stand Leroy anymore but she does not have the courage to stop him from abusing her. She still
loves and respects him as a husband and a father to her five children. Being unable to stop Leroy from abusing her, in fact, only makes her more devastated
and confused to live her life with the situation.
2. Being Denied as the Breadwinners by their Husbands.
