Connections

So I’ve been thinking about what Cecily wrote, about connecting with the characters.  I thought about how I connect to Skeeter in finding stories and how much I love Aibileen.  I couldn’t really think of how I related to a smart mouth, tough yet abused, maid.  And then today I “burned my damn caramel” just like Minnie.  I was making Millionaire’s Shortbread and had to start over on the caramel layer.  I sure felt connected with her then.  I appreciate how much she loves food and talks about it.  Skeeter even makes the comment that a lot of Minnie’s contributions to the interview book include descriptions of food.  At one point, Minnie says, "Frying chicken always makes me feel a little better about life."  Frying meat stresses me out because I never cook it enough, but I have felt that way when cooking other things.  Minnie’s life is a mess in a lot of ways and I like that she can find moments of peace and solitude through food.

I can relate to Skeeter in her desire to dig for stories.  Like her, I love to hear stories from the past.  I love asking old people about their childhood or youth.  My grandma grew up on a farm way out in the country and she always has interesting stories to tell about her childhood.  With my grandma, I can usually think of things to ask, but with other people, I get stumped, much like Skeeter feels when she begins her interview with Aibileen.  I wanted to hear stories from someone recently, but couldn’t think of how to get them talking.  I too didn’t have the right questions.  This book has also made me realize that I never ask about life during the civil rights movement, and that I don’t know anyone who was directly affected by it.  At least if they were, that’s a story that has remained unearthed.

The first connection I made was with Aibileen.  Her relationship with Mae Mobley is what drew me into the book.  It warms and breaks my heart that she loves her more than her own mother but knows the day is coming when “Mae Mo” will become like her mother and she can’t stop it, just prolong it.  I have picked up on some parenting tips from Aibileen, and although I want to raise my own children, if Aibileen knocked on my front door, I would be more than happy for her to raise my child.  She is a carefully crafted character who draws you in with her compassion, wisdom, and love.

Initially, I thought I wouldn’t connect with all these characters, but I guess I have.  Kathryn Stockett has created some great characters that are typical southern women, yet not stereotypes, so it is no wonder I found I related to each one in some way.