Mothers In The Help

It's common knowledge that a mother is a woman that gives birth to a child. This has always been so. The role of a mother, however, has not always been the same. A mother’s life and responsibilities can alter through the times. Since The Help takes place in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi, the mothers either stay home and do a little housework or they go to gatherings with other women from town. They leave the majority of the work with the house and the children to the help. Nowadays mothers tend to do most of the housework and take care of their own children. The lives and responsibilities of mothers in the 21st century are very different from those of the mothers in the The Help.

Mothers can play different roles in their family’s life. Some

While others could work so much that they are barely home. Also, mothers often play a big role in her children’s lives, beliefs, and personalities. They may directly show their children how to act and what beliefs to have, or the children may form their personality and ideals just from observing. There are several different motherly roles in The Help. There are some good mothers, while there are also some bad ones. The story also shows that you don't have to be a child's biological mother to be there motherly figure.

There are many different types of mother’s portrayed in The Help. We have

Elizabeth Leefolt who seems to have no interest in being a mother. The only time she even interacts with her daughter, Mae Mobley, is when she is scolding her and hitting her for doing something wrong. This behavior is especially troubling when you find out that she is having her second child. Miss Leefolts actions and absence in Mae Mobley’s life leads to the help, Aibileen Clark, becoming Mae Mobley’s mother figure. And as Mae Mobley’s mother figure it is her job to tell her “ You a smart girl. You a kind girl, Mae Mobley.” Aibileen also says to Skeeter “ Miss Leefolt shouldn’t be havin’ babies (Stockett, 107).”

There are also mothers like Hilly Holbrook in The Help. Hilly has a lot

And her constant miscarriages make her feel even worse about being in a relationship with Johnny. She also feels like she is not worthy of Johnny because she can't cook, clean, etc. When she is trying to explain the situation to Minny, Celia says “ Please. I want him to think I can do it on my own. I want him to think I'm… worth the trouble (Stockett, 44).” She feels that there is something wrong with her because she can't fit the mold of the normal, high-class, housewives that are in Jackson, Mississippi. Minny knew that Johnny loved her for her. When Minny told Celia that Johnny knew about the help she said “He tell me not to tell you so you go right on thinking he proud a you. He love you so much, Miss Celia. I seen it on his face how much (Stockett, 276).” This shows that Johnny doesn't want nor expect Celia to change how she already is.

The lives and responsibilities of mothers of the 21st century are very different from the lives and responsibilities of mothers from The Help. In the 21st century it is completely normal for women to not be married or have kids. They can even have one without the other. It's also normal for women to have jobs and work a lot. They can even have positions in politics or be CEO’s of companies. There were clearly normal standards for women and mothers in The Help, so the biggest difference between the present and the setting of the story is that there are no standards for normal anymore.