it so seriously that she proposes a bill of Home Help Sanitation Initiative which is endorsed by the White Citizen’s Council. Feeling encouraged, Hilly starts to push those around her to take immediate actions, and ask Skeeter to have her initiative published in the newsletters. Elizabeth feels a bit embarrassed at first but she soon gets it over and starts to buy Hilly’s ideas. Skeeter is pretty abhorred by her friend’s racist opinions and she feels quite uncomfortable when Hilly is talking aloud about her disgust of the black helps at the presence of Aibileen. To show her disapproval, she says sarcastically that Hilly should build herself a bathroom outside the house, and later she expresses her regret for what happens to Aibileen in private.
8. What does Skeeter’s mom tell her about their maid, Constantine? Why is Skeeter skeptical? Why is she so upset to find out that Constantine is actually fired by her mom? Skeeter is told by her mom after she returns from school that their old maid Constantine quits the job, and moves to Chicago with her own daughter. However, Skeeter gets suspicious because Constantine never writes to her and when she sees that Aibileen is holding something back on mentioning Constantine and her family looks rather uneasy while assuring her that Constantine simply moves on, she figures it out that the old maid is actually fired by her mom. Skeeter feels bitter and upset because Constantine has been working in her family for 29 years and while her mom is busy with her own social life, it is Constantine who brings her up, keeps accompany with her and encourages her to become a woman with self-confidence and a free will. 9. Why does Skeeter call Elaine Stein, the well-known publisher in New York? Does Elaine Stein take Skeeter’s concern for the social ills seriously? What is the publisher’s major concern? Why does she agree to give Skeeter an opportunity to try out her idea then? Skeeter discusses with Miss Stein on the phone about her plan to write a book of interviews with black maids about what it is like for the black helps to live and work in Jackson, a county infamous for its racial segregation. Miss Stein is more interested in the potential popularity of such a book than in Skeeter’s pursuit of having the true voice of black helps heard by the public. But she’s concerned that Skeeter can never manage to find a black maid who will do such an interview. When Skeeter lies to assure Miss Stein that she already has one black maid ready for the interview, Miss Stein agrees to give her idea a consideration.
10. Why does Skeeter pick Aibileen as her first interviewee？How does
she persuade Aibileen to do the interview with her? Do things go smoothly as she expects? Why is it difficult for Skeeter to get the
support from the black helps?
Aibileen becomes Skeeter’s first choice because Skeeter thinks that she can use her need for Aibileen’s help on her writings of “Miss Myrna Column” as a cover-up for the book interviews. She assumes that so long as she keeps everyone involved anonymous, the black maids, one after another, will come to do the interviews with her because this gives them a golden opportunity to tell the public what is really like for a black maid working in a white family. However, things don’t turn out as she expects. Though Skeeter knows it must be scary for Aibileen and the other black maids to do such an interview, she has no idea their life and freedom may be endangered, not only by the hostile white racists but also by Mississippi laws which claim any disturbance of racial segregation illegal and therefore can be subjected to severe punishment.
11. Why is Minny fired by Miss Hilly? What happens to Minny after that?
One night, a tornado strikes Jackson County which later claims 18 lives. Despite the terrible storm outside, Hilly insists Minny can only use the outside bathroom for black helps. Later Hilly follows Minny, finds Minny locked herself in the inside bathroom and starts to question Minny angrily. Minny can no longer bear the insult so she deliberately flushes the toilet and is fired on spot by Hilly, who later tells people in town that Minny is a thief. Minny takes her revenge on Hilly but still the rumor makes it impossible for her to get employed by any white family in Jackson County. Not being able to bring home any money, Minny is abused by her husband and her young daughter is later forced by her husband to quit school and work as a maid to help pay the bills. 12. Why does Aibileen finally agree to tell Skeeter her stories? How does
she prefer to do the interview and why? What does Skeeter do to reduce the risk and how does she make Aibileen feel at ease to share with her the stories?
Aibileen feels sorry for what happens to her best friend, Minny hopes she can do something for her. Later at the church, the father’s preach about courage and love enlightens her and helps her make up her mind to invite Skeeter to her place to do the interview. Instead of answering the questions prepared by Skeeter, Aibileen prefers to write her own stories and read them to Skeeter. It turns out that Aibileen writes one to two hours every night about what she experiences as her way to pray to God and also as a way to memorize her son who once dreams to become a writer. Skeeter accepts Aibileen’s suggestion because that’s a much more natural way for the maid to tell her stories. To show her understanding of the situation, Skeeter reads the Mississippi laws of segregation, and then learns to take extra caution to come to Aibileen’s place unnoticed and she shows a modest attitude,
assuring Aibileen that she will not take it personal when the blacks make complains of the unfair treatments enforced on them by the white population.
13. Who is Celia Foote? Why does Aibileen recommend Minny to her?
Celia is a new-comer to Jackson County who marries Johnny Foote, Hilly’s ex-boyfriend and then lives in the Foote plantation a bit far from the county center. Aibileen happens to know that Celia is in need of a black help and while working at Elizabeth’s place, she gets to know that though Celia is very eager to make friends with the ladies, she is rejected by all because the jealous and contemptuous Hilly is manipulating everyone to keep her isolated and friendless. Therefore, Celia is the only one in Jackson County who will not mind hiring Minny. 14. Does Celia greet Minny in a way as most white hostesses would do? Why does she behave like that? Why does Minny feel uneasy to take the job?
Minny is quite amazed to be so warmly greeted by Celia who simply takes her as someone coming in time of need and who seems to have no idea that such a behavior is considered very improper in Jackson County. Grown up in a working-class family, Celia has no sense of white superiority and as a new-comer and an outsider, she’s not fully conscious of the common practice of rigid racial segregation in Jackson County. Besides, she is very much frustrated at the moment because she can hardly cook well and she has no one to seek help in the neighborhood. That is why she feels so exhilarated and grateful when Minny accepts the job offer. However, Minny is a bit worried when Celia says she can work only during the working hours on the work days so that her husband Johnny will never find out about the help and thus will assume that Celia is an excellent housewife who can manage to do everything on her own. Celia obviously doesn’t understand it can be dangerous for Minny if her husband happens to come back early and see a black woman in their house.
15. How does Minny react on seeing Skeeter in Aibileen’s place, doing
the interview? Why does she decide to join them a moment later? How devoted does she turn out to be in her first interview?
Minny is shocked to see Skeeter and Aibileen are actually doing the interview as Yule Mae once told her. She at first appears sarcastic and skeptical because she finds it hard to believe that a white girl can sincerely care about the black maids and take a humble position to respect whatever the blacks have to say. However, on a second thought, she decides to give it a try because she has so many stories to tell and she is somehow encouraged by the fact that her best friend Aibileen has been doing it for a while. Once she gets started, she keeps talking for a whole night, sharing stories with Skeeter and
Aibileen about herself, the food she cooks and the white women she has worked for.
16. Is Skeeter’s mom, Charlotte, proud of the daughter for getting herself
a good education and a serious job to do? What does Charlotte care most about the daughter? What does she do to show her cares and worries? Does Skeeter appreciate her efforts?
Skeeter remains a big headache for her mom Charlotte who desperately wants her daughter to get married before getting too old. Charlotte tries all means to transform Skeeter into an attractive lady with an elegant manner. The fact that Skeeter never dates any guy and shows no interest in finding herself a husband worries Charlotte so much that she once recommends some drugs to Skeeter which is claimed as a special treatment for those who develop a queer sexual orientation. When Skeeter is finally going out for an arranged date with Stuart, Charlotte excitedly helps Skeeter to get prepared. She orders expensive hair perm from New York, perms Skeeter’s hair, dresses her up elegantly and keeps reminding her that she should put up a good image of herself. However, Skeeter finds her mom quite annoying because for Skeeter, a woman’s success lies in her career not in the good image she puts up in front of others.
17. Does Skeeter’s arranged date with Stuart go well? Why does Stuart
come back to Skeeter a few weeks later? Does Skeeter accept his apology?
The date doesn’t go well. Stuart deliberately makes fun of Skeeter’s job as a writer for a cleaning column and he claims Skeeter is of no difference from the girls who throw themselves in the husband-hunting game right after college graduation. Skeeter feels insulted, says something harsh in return and rushes out angrily. Weeks later, Stuart shows up at Skeeter’s door to apologize for the way he acts on their first date and confesses that he finds himself deeply impressed by Skeeter’s straight-forwardness and her talent of writing. Skeeter is still angry with Stuart, but on seeing his sincerity, she accepts his apology, goes out with him for a second date and the two soon falls in love with each other.
18. What does Miss Steins say about the records of interviews that Skeeter
sends to her? What does Skeeter have to do before she can have the book published? What does Minny suggest? Is her suggestion accepted by Skeeter? Why does Aibileen feel obliged to get the book published?
Miss Stein finds the stories outstandingly vivid and impressive, but she insists if Skeeter fails to interview a dozen more black helps and record their stories before the national concern of civil rights issues fades away, the interviews will never get published. Seeing no possibility to involve any more black maids at the moment, Minny