Whose Story Can I Tell?

As an aspiring writer, I have a burning desire to tell a meaningful story, a feeling shared by Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, and the protagonist in the story, Skeeter. Regardless of these desires, however, there is a question all writers must consider: Whose story can I tell?

Warning

I am going to start by revealing that I gave this book 2/5 stars; the writing was captivating, and Stockett is clearly a talented writer, but there are some issues that should be addressed. Fair warning, in order to discuss these issues, I will have to refer to parts of the plot, but I will never give anything away outright. 

The Issue of Perspectives

Stockett is a white woman who grew up in Mississippi and later moved to New York, where she wrote The Help. She used three perspectives to tell this story, which is set in 1960s Mississippi: Skeeter, a 23 year-old white woman fascinated with civil rights, and two African-American maids, Aibileen and Minny. Throughout the book, she rotates through these three perspectives, embodying the voices of each woman. 

In a personal essay released in July 2011, Stockett revealed that she was raised by an African-American maid in the 70s, named Demetrie. She also admitted that neither, she nor anyone else in her family, asked Demetrie what it was like to be an African-American maid working for a white family in the South. Nor does she tell readers whether or not she spoke to any African-American maids about their experiences.

The voices she creates for Aibileen and Minny are, therefore, assumptions. 

The Danger of Assumptions

The history of slavery, segregation and the Jim Crow era in America is not only long and recent, it is also painful for many African-American people and their descendants. 

Intergenerational trauma persists to this day.

These stories need to be told, that is for certain. But who can tell them? Is it right for a white woman to take on the voices of two African-American maids in a work of fiction, without collaborating with real-life African-American maids? The lack of collaboration was evident and allowed Stockett to fall into stereotypes, especially in regard to the African-American men in the story, many of whom abandoned or abused their wives. 

I am not the only one who was uncomfortable because two-thirds of the novel was written in this way, as several reviews on Goodreads voiced this opinion, and a couple even expressed their hurt that someone would take away and misrepresent the stories of their mothers and grandmothers. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4667024-the-help)

Even Viola Davis, who was nominated for her role as Aibileen in the film (2011), revealed to a New York Times reporter seven years after the movie was released, that she regretted taking the role. She explained that “[she] just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/movies/viola-davis-interview-widows-toronto-film-festival.html)

Aibileen and Ablene

In early 2011, Ablene Cooper, the nanny and maid of Kathryn Stockett’s brother, sued Stockett for using her likeness in The Help, when she was assured that it would not be used. Ablene Cooper claimed that Aibileen Clark’s appearance and story was based on her own, and although she was supported by Stockett’s brother in the lawsuit, the case was thrown out due to the statute of limitations. 

Whether or not the allegations are true, my discomfort was made worse after reading about this, because Ablene Cooper did not want to tell her story. Seeing herself in those pages embarrassed her, and instead of appropriating her story, her desire to be left out of the project should have been respected (more details: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/lawsuit-black-maid-ablene-cooper-sues-author-kathryn/story?id=12968562).

Why then, did Stockett use Ablene Cooper’s likeness? It is as if she felt that because she had observed African-American maids in her youth, she was entitled to write about their thoughts. Entitlement, therefore, is just as dangerous as assumptions, especially when the two are used in conjunction to tell someone else's story.

Skeeter vs Stockett

Skeeter is undoubtedly based on Stockett, which is not a problem; in fact, it felt like hers was the only authentic perspective in the book—mostly because there were no assumptions made there. However, there is a striking difference between the two:

• Skeeter was collaborating with African-American maids, so that their voices could be heard
• Stockett was making assumptions about what maids thought, based on her own experiences

The conclusion of both of their stories is remarkably similar though, because both Skeeter and Stockett are the ones that benefited the most from the stories being told. Without the collaboration of the African-American community, the conclusion of this book lacked something; mainly the reaction from the family, friends and community of Aibileen, Minny and the other maids who told their stories. How would they have felt about the maids publishing their stories? Would they have been celebrated or shunned by their own? Within this work of fiction, there is an opportunity to make African-American voices heard, and it is an opportunity Stockett missed.

What Could Have Been

I am not saying that Stockett should not have written a book about African-American maids in 1960s Mississippi; the relationship between the three main characters was beautiful, something she could have made true by collaborating with maids who wanted to share their story. There is a reason that Skeeter’s voice is more authentic, after all, the book is about Skeeter. She is the one who wants to write the book so that she can impress an editor in New York City, and she is the one who stood to benefit the most from telling the stories of the maids. What Skeeter did was risky, but she had the opportunity to escape the retribution of those around her, while the maids did not. 

Writing stories about startling moments in history is necessary, but because they are sensitive subjects, they must be done the right way, and those who should have been at the center of this story—the African-American maids—should have been involved in the telling of the story. Collaboration with the African-American community (just as Skeeter does) would have strengthened the authenticity of the book.

Letting go of disappointment, I move on to another book. Please comment or email me at theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com about this book or another, I would love to hear from you!

Shoutout to me bestie, who edited and advised on this post.