The Help Summary: Plot, Characters and Ending
The Help is set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the early 1960s. Skeeter Phelan, a young white woman who wants to be a writer, secretly collects the stories of Black maids who work for white families, starting with Aibileen and her outspoken friend Minny. Their anonymous book shakes the town.
The story is told in turn by Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter.
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Aibileen Clark | Maid raising Mae Mobley Leefolt |
| Minny Jackson | Outspoken maid and great cook |
| Skeeter Phelan | Aspiring writer back from college |
| Hilly Holbrook | Skeeter's controlling friend |
| Elizabeth Leefolt | Aibileen's employer |
| Celia Foote | Outsider who hires Minny |
| Constantine | Maid who raised Skeeter |
| Mae Mobley | Little girl Aibileen loves |
How does the story begin?
Aibileen works for Elizabeth Leefolt and raises her toddler, Mae Mobley, telling her each day that she is kind, smart and important. Hilly Holbrook, leader of the local women, campaigns for separate bathrooms for Black maids in white homes. Minny, after mouthing off to Hilly's mother, is fired and blacklisted by Hilly. Skeeter returns from college to find that Constantine, the maid who raised her, has disappeared, and no one will tell her why.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens to Minny?
Minny gets revenge on Hilly with a chocolate pie containing a disgusting secret ingredient, which Hilly eats two slices of. Minny then goes to work for Celia Foote, a warm, lonely woman shunned by Hilly's circle, who hides Minny from her husband. Minny gradually learns about Celia's heartbreak over losing pregnancies, and they become friends.
↑ Back to the topHow does the secret book come about?
A New York editor tells Skeeter to write about something that disturbs her. She persuades Aibileen, then Minny, to tell what it is like to work for white families, a dangerous thing to do. After another maid, Yule May, is jailed on Hilly's accusation, many more maids come forward. Skeeter learns that her mother fired Constantine in front of guests after Constantine's daughter embarrassed her, and that Constantine died soon after.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens when the book is published?
The book is published anonymously, with the town renamed, and the women of Jackson recognize themselves. To protect everyone, Minny included the pie story: Hilly will insist the book is not about Jackson rather than admit she ate the pie. Skeeter's boyfriend leaves her when he learns she wrote it.
↑ Back to the topHow does The Help end?
Skeeter is offered a job in New York and, encouraged by Aibileen and Minny, takes it. Minny finally leaves her violent husband and takes her children with her. Hilly, furious, falsely accuses Aibileen of stealing silver, and Elizabeth fires her. Aibileen says goodbye to Mae Mobley, reminding her one last time that she is kind, smart and important. Walking away, Aibileen feels free and decides she will become a writer herself.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Help
This summary reveals the whole plot, including the ending.