Chapter 3 introduces us to a new character - Mrs. Celia Rae Foote. She is Minny's new boss, and a very intriguing character. She seems nice enough, but very quirky! This leads to my first discussion item:
- What are your thoughts and reactions to the way Celia and Minny interact?
- What do you think Celia's perception of Minny really is?
- What do you think Celia is hiding?
On p. 38 Minny recalls the day she turned 14, the same day her mother told her the "rules" for working for a White Lady.
- Were there any rules that you found interesting?
- Did the rules give you any new insights to the plight of being the help?
I also caught a few nuances in Stockett's writing in these chapters...
- Were there any literary devices or special touches you found?
Can't wait to hear y'all's thoughts!
3 comments:
What are your thoughts and reactions to the way Celia and Minny interact?
The way these two interact is really interesting to me. Celia seems nice yet you can tell she really grates on Minny's nerves. Celia doesn't treat Minny the way most rich white ladies do, but Celia also never leaves the house, so perhaps she is just starved for conversation.
What do you think Celia's perception of Minny really is? I think Celia still sees Minny as being a lower life form the way other white people viewed black people back then, but I also think Celia really needs Minny for some reason, and whatever that reason is, I think she kind of views Minny as a bit of a life saver.
What do you think Celia is hiding? I'm not entirely sure, and I think whenever we find out the conclusion of Mr. Foote coming home early is, we may find out what Celia is hiding. But if I had to speculate, I think she is just hiding a really unhappy marriage. Mr. Foote probably has expectations of her to be the typical rich house wife, and she can't really fulfill that. She is obviously afraid of him since she won't tell him that she has a maid, and since she goes to great lengths to look like she really is improving at cooking and cleaning (leaving the dirty glass in the sink, smudged mirrors, etc.).
Were there any rules you found interesting? Did the rules give you any new insights to the plight of being the help? I don't by any means think that I truly understand how it felt to be a black woman in the 60's, but the rules really did give me a deeper insight into the fact that literally everything they did served two functions: first, they waited on these white people hand and foot, and second, simultaneously they were reminded (maybe even humiliated) that they were not considered to be equals with the rest of the human race. If they were cooking for a white person, they also were reminded when they had to use a new spoon every time they needed to taste what they were cooking that they were considered to be a contaminant.
Were there any literary devices or special touches you found? On p. 23 and 43 Aibileen and Minny (respectively) reference the same crazy guy who eats cat food behind the feed store. I just really appreciated how much attention to detail, and how well developed, Stockett has made this novel! Also, the irony that Minny was cleaning Confederate coat buttons (p.42)!!!
What are your thoughts and reactions to the way Celia and Minny interact?
I think their interactions are pretty funny but really sad. They are obviously feeling one another out, but there is also so much tension coming up on Minny's radar. Celia is not treating her how she'd expect a white woman to and this is causing all kinds of discomfort for Minny. Also, Celia is living some sort of secret and she wants to act like it's not there.
What do you think Celia's perception of Minny really is?
I think she does see her as a kind of life-saver and a really good find, but she doesn't trust her yet. Celia seems to be a genuinely blind to some of the typical color lines in Jackson. It looks like this is stemming more from ignorance than a willful perception. Maybe we'll see more examples of this later on to get a clearer picture.
What do you think Celia is hiding?
Wow, I have no idea what so ever! Maybe she wants her husband to have confidence in her and can't stand disappointing him. Maybe she is genuinely scared of him. From the way Minny describes him, I'm a little scared of him.
On p. 38 Minny recalls the day she turned 14, the same day her mother told her the "rules" for working for a White Lady.
Were there any rules that you found interesting?
I definitely found rule number one the most interesting. All of the other rules I could foresee, but this talk about how you should stay out of each others' business because you're not their friend and their not yours, was pretty sad to me. In a nutshell, I think it says, "Do not relate to one another. You can't and it's dangerous to try."
Did the rules give you any new insights to the plight of being the help?
Yes, I've worked for pretty fair bosses mostly. I can't imagine making my living by serving people who think I'm in every way inferior, that I'm contagious, powerless, and particularly stupid. All this while expecting me to behave as though I'm so grateful for everything they "give me."
Were there any literary devices or special touches you found?
I thought that taking Minny back in time to when she first learned the rules of working for a white family, and then again to when she first broke those rules, was a great way to demonstrate her ongoing struggle with them.
What are your thoughts and reactions to the way Celia and Minny interact?
Celia seems pretty clueless about the rules that white women of the South were supposed to live by. This has Minny on edge. It was really sad to me how shallow the relationships between blacks and white must have been given their perceptions of each other at the time. However, I thought it was pretty cute how Minny who was trying not to be sassy had to order Celia around "No you're supposed to tell me when you want me to come and when you want me to leave"
What do you think Celia's perception of Minny really is?
I think she sees her as a chance to get into the world she's been trying to break into. It seems her husband doesn't really respect her nor do the other women in the town and I think she sees Minny as a way to finally break in. She seems releived to finally have someone who will actually try to help her.
What do you think Celia is hiding?
Maybe an illness (maybe she's crazy) with all that not leaving the house and stuff. Also her marriage seems pretty shady, especially after that illusion to Mr. Foote's old relationship with Ms. Walter's daughter. Maybe she has a sorted past, or something crazy went down in her family. I'm pretty excited to find out.
Were there any rules you found interesting? Did the rules give you any new insights to the plight of being the help?
The rules seemed to be a constant reminder to Minny that she will never be good enough. And that just plain sucks.
Were there any literary devices or special touches you found?
I really like that Stockett gives a look inside Minny's head. Her internal dialgoue is pretty important to the development of her character.
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