• Are there any connections between this book and your own life? Explain.
• Are there any connections between this book and another book you’ve read or story you’ve heard?
• Is the main character or situation he/she is in similar to you or anyone you know? Does a character remind you of another you’ve encountered in a different book?
• What do you think of a particular character’s actions? Are they right or wrong? Why?
The character in The Help I see myself most in is Skeeter, for a multitude of reasons. For one, we she aspires to be a writer, just as I do. Skeeter describes this dream of hers as "one day [writing] something that people would actually read" (Stockett 69) which I felt hit very close to home for me. Just like Skeeter, I want to write something more than something people will read and forget about, I want to write something that will make an impact. This is why Skeeter is writing about her interviews with the help.
ReplyDeleteI also identify closely with Skeeter's character because Skeeter is always aiming to gain approval, which I think is something I tend to do sometimes. Like Skeeter, I always want my parents to approve of whatever I'm doing, only in my case it's usually with grades or activities while in Skeeter's case "what Mother really wanted was to watch me walk down the aisle" (Stockett 80). The urge to please her parents (and Ms. Stein) is what drives Skeeter a lot to make the decisions she makes, and that I can relate to. While at the same time, of course, we don't want to do everything to impress those we look up to, and are capable of doing things for ourselves as well (like Skeeter staying in college instead of dropping out to get married like all of her friends).
Though I do not wish to be a writer, I, too, would like to create something impactful one day. It could be a piece of artwork, a composition, a written work, or anything else, but I feel like some things I want to express could make a positive change in the world around me. I also think I’m a “people pleaser” like you and Ms. Skeeter. I always try to put the opinions and preferences of those around me over my own. This can result in me spreading myself too thin. A lot of the time, I volunteer to do so many things to the point that I don’t even have five minutes to myself some weeks. I need to work on being able to say no. This is something I admire Skeeter for doing when she stays in school instead of getting married immediately.
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