40 researcher to find the meanings of the crucial problems happened in Jackson,
Mississippi, in early 1960s which also happens in our society right now.
C. Research Procedure
In conducting the research, the writer used library study or collecting data from various references as the method to get primary and secondary data. The
researcher also used various references from the online sources. In the other word, the data used in this study were gathered from books and online research or
journals. First, the researcher read the primary data of this study, a novel entitled
The Help written by Kathryn Stockett. The researcher tried to read it for three times to understand the content and find interesting and important items to be
discussed and analyzed. The researcher decided to analyze the characters’
personalities and their life events by using the psychological point of view. Second, the researcher tried to find the other references and relevant
sources to support the study and help the researcher to analyze the problem. The relevant sources included the review of socio-cultural historical background of
Jackson, Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement in early 1960s. Third, the researcher determined the theories and approach to be applied in
this study. The approach used is the psychological approach. The study adopted theories, such as theory of characterization, theory of personality, motivation
theory, and theory of needs. The researcher used some books and theories to support the ideas to analyze and solve the formulated problems.
41
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
This chapter discusses the meanings of racism issues that become crucial issues happened in Mississippi, early 1960s, as seen through the three main
characters of Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. The discussion is divided into two parts. The first part is the character analysis of Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson,
and Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan, the three main characters of the novel, including their physical appearance and personality analysis. The second part discusses the
meanings of racism issues experienced by Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson, and Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan. The meanings of racism issues are analyzed with
theories discussed in Chapter Two.
A. The Description of The Three Main Characters
In line with the theory presented in Chapter Two, a character is a person presented in narration Abrams, 1981. The characters are made by the author and
interpreted by the readers as people who are presented by moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities as seen in the dialogues and actions. There are some
characters presented in the novel. Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter play the most important role in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. The description of the three main
characters in The Help are discussed to understand the three main characters’ motivation in dealing with the crucial problems happened in their society.
1. Physical Description of the Three Main Characters
The physical description of the three main characters in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help has to be discussed further because it plays an important role as the
trigger of the problems they face. Moreover, a person’s physical appearance has a relation with the development of that person’s personality Hurlock, 1974. In this
novel, the three main characters are facing some crucial issues and they want to fight against those issues. Two of the three main characters are colored women,
Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson. They work as maids for white families in Jackson, Mississippi. The third main character is a well-educated white lady
named Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan. The followings are their physical descriptions:
a. Aibileen Clark
Aibileen is a middle-age woman. She has a plump body with dark brown skin. Her hair is black, but her eyebrows are gray. When she works, she always
wears her white uniform and black shoes. Aibileen’s physical appearance can be seen through Skeeter’s comment when she meets Aibileen in Elizabeth’s kitchen.
p. 92: I walk into the kitchen, my notebook and papers under my arm. Aibileen
smiles at me from the sink, her gold tooth shining. She’s a little plump in the middle, but it is a friendly softness. And she’s much shorter than me,
because who isn’t? Her skin is dark brown and shiny against her starchy white uniform. Her eyebrows are gray even though her hair is black.
