I really enjoyed reading these chapters. Aibileen is very fleshed out and human. Her relationship to her employer, Miss Leefolt, and Miss Leefolt's little girl, Mae Mobley, are complex and made me want to cry a little. I appreciate that Kathryn Stockett is a Jackson, Mississippi native, lending her the experience and history necessary to write this novel. I don't think the issues she addresses could be adequately covered by anyone who is not intimately acquainted with the deep south. I can tell I'm going to like Minny already. I also appreciate how Aibileen is still moving forward but not at all over the death of her son. That's a mark of a strong mother, I think, and Stockett's descriptions of her emotions are excellent.
What are your first impressions of Aibileen?
What are your first impressions of Miss Skeeter?
What are your first impressions of Minny?
When Miss Skeeter asks Aibileen if she wants to change things, do you think the two of them have the same types or degrees of change in mind?
What was your first response to the colored bathrooms versus white bathrooms issue?
What would you guess Minny did to Miss Hilly?
2 comments:
I am also excited to see where this book is headed. I have answered the questions posted below but will probably comment again later in the week with other impressions. I just finished up teaching my kids here about the civil rights movement in New Orleans so civil rights has been on my mind.
What are your first impressions of Aibileen? Abiileen is very likeable. I want to get to know her more. I still want to know more about treelore's death and how she's handling that situation. The way she wants Mae Mobely to be loved is quite honorable, even inspiring.
What are your first impressions of Miss Skeeter? I am intrigued by Miss Skeeter. She seems to be caught in between two worlds- the high society white sounthern one she was born into and the genuine friendship she has with her childhood housekeeper. I am excited to get to know her character better.
What are your first impressions of Minny? I like Minny a lot. Her outspokenness brings a humor that I really like but without cheapening her outrage at the way she's being treated. I especially like the line about her stockings sagging around her ankles being the burden of all short, fat women. To me she sort of embodies how many Southern blacks in the early 60s felt- fed up with mistreatment but also desperately wanting to survive.
When Miss Skeeter asks Aibileen if she wants to change things, do you think the two of them have the same types or degrees of change in mind? At the moment, no. Abileen has not really stated what she might want to change, but it seems that she might not be thinking about a really radical change in the way others value her but rather a superficial change in her job or quality of life. Also, I get the feeling Abileen would change things about her personal life but I think Ms. Skeeter is talking about more general sense.
What was your first response to the colored bathrooms versus white bathrooms issue? What a great example of the psychology of segregation. Segregation worked because it kept people seperate in places where they knew they were the same- everyone does the same thing in the Bathroom, everyone gets thirsty, everyone has to ride the bus to work, ect. The thing i found so interesting was Ms. Leefolt building the bathroom that she couldn't afford because of the pressure of her friends. Obviously thier system of Abileen using the guest room had been working fine. It still amazes me how the myths about blacks developed even though whites had to know they weren't true. Now it is so easy to say how crazy that was, but I find myself wondering how I would have acted if I were living back then. I'm afraid I might have been like Ms. Leefolt, breaking the bank to fit into the white Southern world. I wonder if this bathroom thing will turn into a motif throughout the book...
What would you guess Minny did to Miss Hilly? Not sure, maybe ruin a relationship or tell her mother something about her she wasn't supposed to know. We shall see...
Here's my answers - sorry they are so late!!!
What are your first impressions of Aibileen?
Aibileen is a character is very relatable. I feel like if I met her, I would find her to be a precious lady that my heart would go out to! I admire her strength in moving on in life after the loss of Treelore, but I'm interested to see how the subplot surrounding his death will develop.
What are your first impressions of Miss Skeeter?
I am also intrigued by Skeeter, Shannon! She does seem caught between two worlds, and I have a feeling she wants to reconcile the two to each other but has no clue where to start.
What are your first impressions of Minny? I love Minny! She says what she really is thinking, and you gotta respect that honesty!
When Miss Skeeter asks Aibileen if she wants to change things, do you think the two of them have the same types or degrees of change in mind? I think Skeeter is probably interested in a civil rights sort of change, and that Aibileen may have decided that things can't change on that level. We'll see...
What was your first response to the colored bathrooms versus white bathrooms issue? Shan, I had a feeling you'd have that response! I had a similar response--thinking about the psychology of it all. I am also curious to see if the bathrooms will be a symbol throughout the book (they do come up again at the end of chapter 4!!!). I have to say I'm disgusted to think that white people used to buy into the lie that black people carried diseases you would get if you shared a bathroom with them, and it's upsetting to read the card playing scene where Ms. Leefolt gradually comes to the conclusion that yes, she would like to have a separate bathroom for the help. I get this feeling that Ms. Leefolt would never have even cared that much if Hilly hadn't suggested it. I think Ms. Leefolt is a good representation of the mindless following that occurred during this time period.
What would you guess Minny did to Miss Hilly?
I'm not sure...I'm curious to see if it ever resurfaces (sure hope so!)...I am wondering if Minny purposely put something in a pie she baked that didn't belong there or something like that...
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