Theme Of Racism In The Help

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Racism in the 1960s A lot of people take their lives for granted and complain about how “hard” their lives are. No one really realizes that they could have it so much worse. Back in the 1960s trying to fit in was one of the hardest things you can do. In the novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Aibileen is an African American maid that works for a whit family. Aibileen must live with and deal with constant racial discrimination from those in her society. In the book, The Help, I leaned to treat everyone fairly regardless of race, that regardless of our appearance we are all important, and to appreciate life. In The Help, we are shown a society where people are segregated due to the color of their skin and their ethnic backgrounds. However, there are some people in this society that disagree with this segregation. Skeeter is one of the characters that disagrees with the society, when can see this …show more content…
This is another major theme in The Help. People aren’t born racist, instead it’s something they learn from the older folks. Aibileen tries to prevent Mae from thinking like this and we see this in chapter 7 when she says “I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain't a color, disease ain't the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming – and it come in every white child's life – when they start to think that colored folks are not as good as whites.” (Stockett, 117). Aibileen doesn’t want Mae to discriminate others because everyone is important regardless of who they are. Segregation is something Aibileen must deal with. Some laws legalize segregation and reinforce racial bias. Hilly wants to pass "A bill that requires every white home to have a separate bathroom for the colored help.” (Stockett, 9). Aibileen teaches all the kids that she raises that they are all important. She will tell the kids everyday “You is kind. You is smart. You is Important” (Stockett,