relationships become, especially those between the black women and the white children they care for. Black women are expected to be passive workhorses, and to sacrifice their own
homes and family lives for those of their white employers. And also the jobless happened with Minny. She insults her white employer and is fired;
she cannot get another job because the white woman spreads the lie that she was discharged for stealing.
She telling everybody in town I’m stealing That’s why I can’t get no work Stockett, 2009: 21.
This quotation is separate instances where Hilly Holbrook accuses a maid of stealing. In the novel Hilly is one of the most important ladies in town. Being so, she controls almost
everyone’s thoughts and most peoples actions. Miss Hilly has a resentment towards Minny and doesn’t want her to get work. To make sure this never happens, Hilly tells every white
woman in Jackson that Minny is a thief. This is one of example of prejudice that can affect the black people. Prejudice is an
individual characteristic, but its causes lie outside the individual because no one is born with prejudice. One consequence of prejudice is that it facilitates fallacious thinking. Likewise,
when a source is constantly displaying negative things about a particular race, then that will affect the overall opinions as well and the impact of prejudice is can affect the other opinion
about black people and cause them to lose their job.
4.4.3 Violence
Inequalities generate more aggressive behaviour as a reaction to social bias and discrimination, which results in an increase violent in crime. The impact of discrimination
has resulted violence in political activity. Jim Crow laws is blocked most blacks from voting in public elections. Violence is reflected in the treatment of whites against blacks when
blacks violate or break against or deemed to break social rules made by white people. In The
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Help mentions that people who break the rules should get a cruel and inhuman punishment in
the absence of justice or clear legal. Local authorities charged fees, called poll taxes which most blacks could not afford,
and required blacks to pass literacy reading and writing tests not required of whites. Deprived of a formal education, most blacks could not read and write well and failed these
tests. In addition to voting barriers in general elections, blacks were excluded from Southern politics in other ways. Southern states introduced the white primary.
The Democratic Party, the only real political party of power in the South, claimed their primaries to select candidates for various officers were private events. They banned
participation by blacks. By 1910, this practice was used in every Southern state. As a result of voting restrictions and exclusion from primaries, blacks had little political influence in the
South.
“ And my cousin Shinelle in Cauter Country? They burn up her car cause she went down to the voting station.”
Stockett, 2009: 103
The quotation explains, Minny’s cousin wants to voting, but the white get angry and they burn her car.In the 1960s, when the novel takes place, violence is used to stop black
voters from exercising this right. Racial discrimination in politic makes the black got the inhuman treatment. It is because the government who have the power are dominated only by
white people. Because of some reasons, the black are got the inhuman treatments for there are not specific laws for help them. Jim crow Laws in the south restricted freedom for blacks and
these attitudes are indicative of those shown toward and as a consequence of second class citizenship.
If people must express themselves freely, there has to be a climate in which they can do this. If blacks feel intimidated by whites, then they are will never feel this freedom of
expressing their selves. A climate has to be created whereby blacks can express themselves.
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The reasons that whites must be excluded is not that one is anti-white, but because the effects that one is trying to achieve cannot succeed because whites have an intimidating
effect. Now, the intimidating effect is in direct proportion to the amount of degradation that black people have suffered at the hands of white people. When there is violent in an African
American part of town, nobody is around to stop it or make things right. When Aibileen watches a colored man get shot, she resentfully thinks,
The tears roll down. Its all them white peoples that breaks me, standing around the colored neighborhood. White peoples with guns, pointed at colored peoples. Cause who gone
protect our peoples? Aint no colored policeman. Stockett, 2009: 163
The white policemen with guns are in Aibileens neighborhood because Medgar Evers, a black civil rights leader, is assassinated blocks away and the authorities are afraid the
black community will turn violence as a result. She knows that Jackson is completely intolerant of African Americans, to the point where they can’t even have police in their part
of town to protect them from crime.
It reflects the very real dangers posed to those who spoke out in favour for integration and civil rights. The death of Evers also helps show the differences in the way the black and
white communities of Jackson perceived current events. For the black community, Everss death is a major historical event. For the white community, its not something to even be
discussed.
The impact of discrimination also happens to psychology of Minny. Minny once worked for Hilly’s mother, and after Hilly sends her mother to a nursing home, she spreads
rumors amongst the white women in town that Minny is a thief. A maids reputation is everything, and Hilly has ruined Minnys credentials. Most maids would have just accepted
their fate, but Minny is not good at staying in her assigned place. Minnys mouth gets in her trouble all the time and the chocolate pie incident is no exception.
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The Terrible Awful thing – Minny’s pie laced with her own feces. It’s a chocolate custard pie.
“Then I go home. I mix up that chocolate custard pie. I puts sugar in it and Baker’s chocolate and the real vanilla my cousin bring me from Mexico.”
“Miss Hilly say, Mama can have some if she wants. Just a little piece though. What did
you put in here, Minny, that makes it taste so good?” “I say ‘ That good vanilla from Mexico’ and then I go head. I tell her what else I put in
that pie for her.” Minnyrevealing the Terrible Awful secret to Miss Celia Stockett, 2009: 339
Minnys revelation that Hilly Holbrook ate two slices of a chocolate pie that included a special ingredient – Minnys poop – is perfect blackmail for Hilly. Minny is do that because
Hilly discriminate her. Racial discrimination from an employer could lead for that person to not receive a higher paying job, in which could lead to violence from the potential employee
towards the employer.
Not only happened in politic, the domestic violence also happened with Minny. Poverty effects on domestic violence. Poverty is a big factor in many cases of domestic
violence. The pressure of a job loss; no jobs available and perhaps losing a persons home or bills piling in is a great deal of pressure. People that are rich poor; different races can have
domestic violence in their home. Here are many reasons behind domestic violence such as drunk and bad temperof husband and so on.
In the case of the males in the novel it’s the main African American protag named Leroy
Jackson, who happens to be Minny’s husband that commits acts of violence against his own
wife, in full view of his children. In the novel, Minnie, a black maid, is repeatedly beaten by her husband.
If I didnt hit you, Minny, who knows what youd become Stockett, 2009: 30
The quotation above shows Minny comes to realize that she can only grow and reach all shes capable of if she escapes the constant physical abuse she suffers at the hands of her
husband.
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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 tonight, I’ll fix him a knuckle sandwich for supper. Stockett, 2009: 135
Yet she experiences debilitating terror when boldly confronting the naked pervert, an unwise move. Frozen in panic once she realizes he has the upper hand, she appears to have a
flashback of Leroy coming to beat her. Here’s a woman who’s had more than her share of physical violence, and her panic attack comes at a crucial time.
Throughout the entire novel, Minny is constantly abused by her husband, Leroy. He won’t beat the kids or beat her when she is pregnant but aside from that he is ruthless. Most
of the time when he is abusing Minny, Leroy is drunk but there were a few times when he beat her completely sober. A few times there were also justifications for beating her, but he
doesn’t always have a reason. This shows that violence, abuse, and fear are all reoccurring themes in the novel.
Domestic violence against women by men is caused by the misuse of power and control within a context of male privilege. Male privilege operates on an individual and
societal level to maintain a situation of male dominance, where men have power over women and children. Perpetrators of domestic violence choose to behave abusively to get what they
want and gain control. Their behaviour often originates from a sense of entitlement which is often supported by sexist, racist, homophobic and other discriminatory attitudes. In this way,
domestic violence by men against women can be seen as a consequence of the inequalities between men and women, rooted in patriarchal traditions that encourage men to believe they
are entitled to power and control over their partners.
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4.4.4 Alcoholism
