The Help: Authors Intrusions

                                I am reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, and it is a really good, intriguing, and thought provoking book. It is about the lives of African-American maids in Jackson, Mississippi. Aibileen, is old and wise and has been through a lot. She is often asked for advice, because she is known to handle her situations and problems in a smart manner. Minnie, is a younger, shorter, and plump African-American maid who is friends with Aibileen. Although they are friends, they are very different. While Aibileen hold's her temper when mistreated by the white family she works for, Minnie cannot control her opinion and makes clever yet rude comments and it often puts her in trouble. Skeeter is a young white girl who cares about the black population on Jackson, Mississippi and wants to help them. However, I am only on page twenty-four and haven't gotten to know her character yet.

                              This book has a deep and serious topic, yet it is also funny, engaging, and entertaining book. I noticed that the book usually has a lively tone (especially in Minnie's parts) but includes deep opinions with "author's intrusion". There are several parts in this book where I see the author's intrusion.

                              "She held onto the railing tight, as though she was going to fall any minute". This is a line in the book which I interpreted as author's intrusion. Although Minnie is describing the way Miss. Celia (her new boss) is walking down the stairs, I think the author is trying to give the reader an idea as to what Miss.Celia's character is like. I think this line means that Miss.Celia is a cautious person, worried her life will fall apart any minute. When first meeting this character, I already assumed she wasn't a happy person because of her "forced smiles" and "overly excited hello's" (as Minnie describes) and this line of author's intrusion gives me a more clear idea of Miss.Celia's problems.

                            "I can't imagine doing anything different." This line is said by Minnie, when she is about to get fired. She knows that none of the other white families in town will not hire her, and she is saying that she can't imagine having a different job. I think this is a line of author's intrusion. Although Minnie is saying that she can't imagine her life doing a different job, I think the author is trying to say that these maid's have been living their whole lives being treated this way, being paid so little, and being treated so badly, that they are almost used to it and wouldn't know what to do elsewhere. Their job as a maid has taken over so much of their life, that they can not imagine what their life would be like without that job.

                            In conclusion, there are several lines of author's intrusion. One of them is showing the characteristics of a new character, and the second is telling the reader about the relationship between the African-American maid and her job.