Chapter 1-2: Aibileen

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

Chapter 1 - Aibileen

1. Aibileen notices something wrong about Miss Leefolt almost immediately upon coming into the Leefolt house for the first time. 

a. What does she notice, and what does it signify?

1. 

- Miss Leefolt does not love her child. 

- Miss Leefolt refers to Mae Mobley as “it,” (objective relationship, not an emotional relationship)

 

1. b. What does this foreshadow?

- the troubles and shortcomings of Miss Leefolt’s household 

+ conflict with Miss Leefolt

2. Aibileen's background?

- African American housemaid

- worked in numerous households + raised 17 white children

- good at her job

- son: Treelore who died when he was 24. 

- Her husband ran off some time before Treelore died. 

3. How has Aibileen changed because of her son's death?

A “bitter seed” began to grow in Aibileen when her son died. 

- no longer “felt so accepting anymore” (depression)

!  Aibileen’s feeling: has nothing left to lose in her life 

           -> SO eventually decides to work with Skeeter on the book. 

4. Aibileen's narrative/language

- 1st person 

- use of dialect. (phonetically) (using “a” to replace “of,” etc.).

- present tense

- contractions

- colloquial and figurative language

5. Specific conflict?

- Hilly initiates a conflict: suggests that Elizabeth should have a “colored bathroom” built in the garage 

- Hilly’s Home Help Sanitation Initiative ( “a disease preventative measure.”)

6. Hilly's description

- Hilly is seen as a divisive and opinionated leader of her peers - - influences others to have the same prejudices, beliefs, and values she holds. 

- bigoted (=onverdraagzaam/bekrompen --> De onwil om het bestaan van afwijkende ideeën of gewoonten te aanvaarden, vaak gekoppeld aan een afkeer van bepaalde kenmerken)

- charismatic and bossy. 

- treats her mother disrespectfully

 

- petty tyrant: telling friends what to do and believe.  (petty=klein/onbeduidend)

 

7. Contrast Hilly <-> Skeeter

Skeeter	Hilly
- tall, thin, white, frizzy hair - does not recognize racial boundaries	- chubby, well made up - leader, bully - insists on division between classes and races

8. Skeeter to Aibileen: "Do you ever wish you could change things?"

Aibileen: one of the “stupidest” questions she has ever heard, => Of course a black maid wants to change things!

9. Foreshadowing at the end...

Miss Leefolt exits into the garage at the end of the chapter, and Aibileen thinks that she has gone to begin planning the construction of a restroom for the help. 

-> Will Hilly convince Miss Leefolt?

-> Will the argument between Skeeter and Hilly escalate?

Chapter 2 - Aibileen

1. Locate an allusion in the beginning of this chapter.

An allusion = is an implied or indirect reference especially in literature

1. 

The maids can sit anywhere on the bus, even if white people are present, simply because of “Miss Parks". 

--> Rosa Parks 

2. Minny and Hilly: foils?

Hilly and Minny: similar role within their community of friends. => are seen as strong women who should not be crossed. 

- opponents

3. Mr Leefolt's attitude towards restroom

- against the extra bathroom

- unnecessary expense: "Mae Mobley will not be able to go to college because her mother does not want “to use the same bathroom as the maid.”

- He feels this decision was directly influenced by Hilly. 

4.  Aibileen is angry in response to Elizabeth Leefolt’s care for Mae Mobley.

Mae Mobley’s diaper was not changed after a night in bed.

->  Miss Leefolt does not realize that is the reason for the child’s discomfort. 

-> Miss Leefolt’s thoughtlessness and lack of care for her child

is what enrages Aibileen. 

5. Why does Minny lose her job with Miss Walters?

Hilly has decided to put her mother into a nursing home, so no housemaid needed anymore. 

Hilly offers to take Minny on as her own maid, but Minny refuses. 

 Hilly then spreads a lie about Minny, saying she was stealing.

=> No one wants to hire Minny

6. Situational irony

Situational irony relies on contradiction. 

The men, who are black, are preparing a restroom for African Americans, yet the laborers do not have a restroom to use while they build it because they are African Americans. 

7. What occurs between Minny and Hilly?

Hilly has spread rumors that Minny steals, and she fires Minny, but offers her twenty dollars.

Minny feels like spitting in Hilly’s face, but does “worse,” and refuses to explain anything further “about that pie” to Aibileen.

8. How did Aibileen begin to become a writer?

- 7th grade: forced to quit school. 

- Her teacher: Aibileen was the smartest one in the class

+ the only way she was going to keep sharp was to read and

write every day. 

=> Aibileen has written down her prayers at night instead of

saying them out loud. 

9. Aibileen’s teapot has symbolic value.

 The teapot can be seen as a symbol for broken calm, broken behavior patterns, and the beginning of something new for Aibileen. 

10. Celia

- an outcast because “she marry Hilly’s old boyfriend,” 

- Aibileen talks to Celia and recommends Minny, when she calls the Leefolts.

.

11.  What are the circumstances that lead Aibileen to feel that things need to change?

• Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is a strong person who has apparently lost her energy, her confidence, and her strength.

  • Aibileen’s son is dead.

  • Mae Mobley is being raised by a mother who does not care about her.

  • The work has been finished, and Aibileen is expected not only to thank Miss Leefolt for being forced to use a separate bathroom in the garage, but also to use the bathroom instantly, even if she has no need to use it