71 pages 2 hours read

Kathryn Stockett

The Help

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

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Essay Topics

1.

What techniques does Stockett use to make the voices of each narrating character (Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter) distinct? How does her deviation from first-person point of view in Chapter 25, “The Benefit,” function within the novel?

2.

How does Stockett’s choice to incorporate historical events such as Kennedy’s assassination and the shooting of Medgar Evers contribute to the novel’s themes and the reader’s understanding of the fictional events of the novel?

3.

Examine the various friend relationships in the novel and compare and contrast them. For example, how does Minny and Aibileen’s friendship contrast with Hilly and Skeeter’s friendship?