Introduction
In sociology, an interactionist perspective focuses on micro-level issues that occur between people. This approach to understanding the interactions between characters allows clarifying inequality and poverty effects. The personal narratives of individuals are often used as the key source of analyzing the relationships across social classes in terms of the interactionist framework (Shibutani, 2017). Another benefit of applying the identified perspective is the opportunity to explain how and why characters behave, including conflicts, identity formation, cooperation, and so on.
“The Help” is a movie that shows the United States of 1962, namely, the city of Jackson, Mississippi. This period is characterized by the segregation between the White population and African-Americans. Aibileen Clark, a 50-yer-old African-American woman, is the main character, who is responsible for raising kids at the home of a White lady, Elizabeth Leefolt. Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan is a young woman who tries to address racism by writing and publishing the stories of African-Americans. Minny Jackson is the first person, who decides to share her stories, which also motivates her friends to work with Skeeter.
Interactionist Perspective and “The Help”
In the movie, the relationships between Whites and household workers reflect the rituals of deference. When Minnie uses the bathroom for the White elite, Hilly fires her, saying to other ladies that she is a thief. This leads to the fact that Minnie cannot find a job, but Celia, a woman who is not accepted by others, hires her. The scene of firing shows that deference is used by Hilly to emphasize her superior position (Shibutani, 2017). The symbolic means of appreciation and apologies were expected from Minnie, but she resisted. The attitudes to other domestic workers are similar: they are perceived as objects, having no will. The conservative upbringing and surroundings of Hilly shape her identity and also limit development as she believes that her actions are the only correct ones.
Another important scene refers to the case when Minnie and Celia cooked together, which was especially unusual for that period. Celia is perceived by others as a social outcast since she is infantile and empathetic to African-Americans. For example, she asks Minnie if she would like to have a cold drink. The fact that Celia is from Sugar Ditch is one more factor for being different, which probably affected her attitude to African-American workers: her family never hired maids. Within several meetings, Minnie and Celia tend to look like friends or, at least, equal persons. These scenes show Minnie that the relationships with Whites can be built without segregation and oppression.
Throughout the movie, the viewers can witness the evolution of Minnie’s personality. From being a submissive maid for Hilly, she starts to understand that she can protect and promote her rights. For example, the interaction with Celia clarifies that both of them are oppressed in society. The decision to help Skeeter in writing her book confirms her progress: it can make the voices of African-American maids be heard. In turn, Celia seems to become wiser, when she understands Hilly’s dislike towards her, learns about Minnie’s secret, and becomes more aware of social segregation.
Conclusion
To conclude, “The Help” is a movie that provides multiple examples of the interactionist perspective to identify and critique the relationships between people. This essay examines Hilly, Celia, and Minnie as the characters, whose interaction led to significant changes. For Hilly, the representative of the White elite, nothing changed. As for Celia and Minnie, there is an evident development of their characters, who realized their positions in society and took action to improve them.
Reference
Shibutani, T. (2017). Society and personality: Interactionist approach to social psychology. Routledge.