20 Jordan notes that African American men will consider their wives as the worst
enemies when the wives happen to earn more financial needs. In addition, it will also be easy for African American men to accuse their wives for taking the control
over their power and dignity.
C. Theoretical Framework
Based on the formulated problem, the study intends to reveal the discrimination practiced by white employers to the African American women
working as maids, as depicted in The Help. The study also examines the literary works by analyzing the cultural and historical background contained in the literary
work. Thus, I use the socio-cultural and historical approach as the approach for this study. The consideration of this approach is also based on the fact that it
analyzes the relationship between the author and the society in which she produces the literary work. Hence, the use of this approach will enable me to find
the social condition underlying the novel. Besides, it will also enable me to reveal the relationship between the author of The Help and the society which serves as
the backdrop of the novel. Theory of racial discrimination is also used in this study. The discussion
on the theory is divided into three sections. They are the definitions of race, the definitions of discrimination, and the types of racial discrimination. The
consideration for using the theory of racial discrimination is based on the fact that most of the African American women experience being discriminated by their
21 white employers. In addition, the theory of racial discrimination will
accommodate the effort to answer to the problem of this study, which is about how discrimination against African American women is depicted in the novel.
The review on African American women in 1960s-1970s is also presented in this study. This review focuses on the role of the women as wives, mothers, and
workers. The consideration of presenting the review of African American women in 1960s-1970s is based on the fact that the setting of the novel is in the early
1960s. I also attempt to narrow down the review based on their roles as wives, mothers, and workers because this novel strongly depicts the role of African
American women as wives, mothers, and workers. The review of African American Women in this study covers the review of
domestic violence against African American women. This review is beneficial to reveal the discrimination against African American women on grounds of gender.
The novel depicts the moments when African American women receive violence from their husbands. Thus, the review of domestic violence against African
American women will reveal some of the reasons why African American women are depicted as being abused by their husbands.
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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter is divided into three sections. They are the object of the study, the approach of the study, and the method of this study. The object of the study
explains the physical description of this novel. Moreover, in this section, the information along with the summary of the novel are also presented. The approach
of the study explains the approach that is employed in the study. The method of the study explains the steps used in conducting the study.
A. Object of the study
The object of this study is a 2009 novel entitled The Help. This novel is the debut novel of an American author, Kathryn Stockett. This novel spent two
years on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Published by Penguin Books, the novel consists of 464 pages, including the extra pages of acknowledgement, the
essay of Kathryn Stockett, and the guiding questions for readers’ club. This novel
is narrated by three characters; they are Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson, and Skeeter Phelan. Aibileen and Minny are African American women while Skeeter
is a white woman. Being set in the segregated Jackson, Mississippi, the novel recalls the discrimination against African American community in the early
1960s. However, the discrimination in this novel is depicted through the complicated relationships between African American maids and the white female
employers . The author’s experience of being raised by a black maid named
