The representation of African-Americans and the nanny figure in The Help

Abstract

The purpose of my thesis was to analyze the historical background, the representation of African-Americans and the nanny figure in Kathryn Stockett's popular novel The Help and its film adaptation directed by Tate Taylor. Segregation and Jim Crow laws remained part of everyday life in the 1960s, and the Civil Rights movement was still in full swing in these years. I examined the struggles of Black Domestic workers and also the portrayal of these characters because these nannies played a key role in The Help. Furthermore,I studied the reality behind the numerous criticisms of The Help: the inadequate depictions of black people and culture, stereotypes that can be discovered in the story, and whether a white writer has the right to write a ‘black story’. Finally, I covered the way Stockett represents her black and white characters and the Mammy Figure. My analysis mainly draws on the film adaptation of The Help, but certain parts of the novel are also taken into consideration.