Multiculturalism and cultural reconciliation in Stockett’s the help

Abstract

The present dissertation focuses on the dialectic between black and white cultures. It talks about how whites and blacks understand each others and create a mutual relationship even belonging from divergent culture. Minny and Aibileen are the major black characters, who face extreme domination and tortures from their white masters. Skeeter is the main white character, who listens to the problems of the black maids, maintains good relation with them even in odd situations and helps them to expose the wrongdoings from their white masters. Going against her own culture, Skeeter helps and encourages the black maids to revolt against the widespread domination against blacks from the whites. She also wants to launch movement against the dominating culture and wants to destroy all the boundaries created between the whites and blacks. By exposing the negative sides of the white culture, she wants to create a stir among people of both white and black races so that both would enjoy equal rights. The author gives a broad message that multiculturalism exists in a situation when people from one culture truly understand the people of another culture. Even belonging from different cultures, the white and black characters behave and understand each others as if they are from the same culture. With the growing mutual relation, a sense of love, affection and humanity arise in the mind of Skeeter, which ultimately sets out a journey of revolution against racial discrimination.