As a remarkable progress in the history of human civilization, the black civil rights movement in the United States has left too many evocative stories in history, and these stories have naturally become excellent materials for Hollywood directors and screenwriters to interpret. Among them are the cruel "Purple", the introverted and meticulous "Driving for Miss Daisy", the cruel and violent "Twelve Years as a Slave", and the recent "Hidden Figure" that combines black civil rights with feminism. . Although there are many jewels on this subject, "Help" can still shine in it. Just like the color used in its poster, the whole movie is like a beautiful sunflower, rooted in the gloomy soil, but still going to break out of the soil, opening its golden petals, and chasing the bright sun. This kind of warm power and spirit is exactly the charm of the film and its original novel of the same name that can impress countless readers and audiences.
The story takes place in the 1960s, when black people have been liberated from the barriers of slavery, and under the leadership of Martin Luther King, they are calling for more equal human rights. Although the background of the story is grand, the film focuses on a few ordinary black maids in Mississippi. As one of the standard equipment for middle-class families in the United States at that time, black maids were responsible for all kinds of housework in the family, especially the important task of taking care of children, while living in a variety of precepts and discrimination restricted by white people. They are not allowed to use the toilet at home, cannot eat at the same table with the owner, cannot touch the hand of the owner when serving coffee to the owner, and no matter how humiliated the owner is, they cannot refute and can only say "Yes, Owner".
One exception for white people is Skeeter, a heroine who works in a newspaper and hopes to become a writer for you. On the face of it, the interaction between Skeeter and the maids, Abilene and Minnie, is the most prominent feature of the "help" theme in the play. Because of Skeeter's enthusiasm, Abilene and her maid had such an opportunity to speak for themselves. It was also by this opportunity that Skeeter's talents were displayed and he finally got the job he dreamed of. But in my opinion, the deeper meaning of helping each other is that they infused each other with courage to face themselves and life, and they were compensated by love.
When Skeeter first proposed the idea for the interview, everyone rejected it. Not only is it that talking about these will make it difficult to make a living by offending the owner, but the act of fighting for equal rights is illegal in the local area and may even threaten survival. Therefore, Abilene watched her only son being bruised by the white man like an animal and then abandoning him. In the end, she couldn't do anything in front of her life and death, she could only let the pain swallow her heart. Minnie has a straightforward and violent temperament, but she was ruthlessly driven out of the house by her master and was wronged as a thief and couldn't find a job. When she suffered from her husband's domestic violence every day, she had to let her daughter drop out of school to replace herself as a maid and make money, and she repeatedly warned her daughter. "Can't talk back." Can we blame them for being too numb and cowardly? When the lonely and weak individual lives are cruelly and scarred under the shadow of the huge shadow of life, what can help them to stand up is certainly not accusations, but a pair of warm and helping hands. Skeeter stretched out her frank hand to Abilene and Minnie, and they finally plucked up the courage to accept it, so in the end Minnie had the ability to bravely take the child away from her violent husband; Abby, who has always been sad and tolerant Lin also bravely fought back against Mrs. Healy who had retaliated against her troubles. Although she was finally fired, when she stood up straight and walked in the sun, she felt unprecedented freedom in her heart.
The reason why Skeeter is unique among all the vain and snob women in the town is precisely because of her "help" by her black nanny. In this small town where the girls just pretend to be beautiful, and then marry a beetle-in-law for a living, Skeeter, who is raspy and outspoken, has always been a "wallflower girl" that no one cares about or is even laughed at. She was also sad and depressed, self-doubt and denial. But the nanny Constantine told her: "I hope you don't belittle yourself, that's ugly. Ugly comes from the heart, is mean and hurts, just like those boys, you are different from them, right?...Some people don't. Choosing your own life, life chooses her, but you will do something big, wait and see. "It is conceivable that Skeeter would have become without these words of a nanny? Shy away and follow the crowd to find a man who has the right conditions but has no feelings for her to marry and start a family, or drink alone the bitter wine that turns grievance and sadness into resentment and jealousy? In short, it will not be the man who has the courage to be himself and loves to help others.
Looking back at the other housewives, they were chosen by a life of "becoming a vase", and they were not told by a nanny like Constantine that they could be themselves, so they used their enthusiasm for dressing up more beautifully and their wisdom for intrigue. Pride is used to trample on the weak, and eventually become paler and empty, and finally live life into a vase of vain, so they must be more cautious and try their best to maintain the only vain. So the arrogant Healy can drive away anyone she doesn't like, including her mother, but when Abby Lin uses the phrase "In order to achieve your goal, you will only threaten, intimidate, lie and quibble, you disrespectful woman, Aren't you tired, Miss Healy?" After piercing her life mask, Healy broke down and fled in an instant. When the mean and snobbish Elizabeth sees Abilene teaching her daughter: "You are very kind, you are very smart, and you are very important", she will also look sad. Perhaps these three sentences are what she wants to listen to but never has anyone. Speaking to her.
Narrowness brings prejudice, prejudice creates barriers, and barriers breed harm. These prejudices, estrangements and injuries are not limited to the blacks and whites, Celia in the film is also white, but the identity of the country girl and the inadvertent offense of Healey made her also suffer from the joint squeeze of the housewives in the town. . Fortunately, she met Minnie. In the help of each other, the kind and enthusiastic Celia let Minnie dispel her resentment towards white people, and Minnie's straightforwardness and ability also saved Celia from slipping to the edge of depression. In fact, looking back to the history of black struggle, it is full of white people's discrimination and even abuse of black people, but the black people can finally achieve the success of the affirmative movement, and it is indispensable for the great help of white people such as Lincoln, Skeeter, and Celia. People will suffer harm, so there will be gaps in their hearts. But whether to turn the unevenness of the gap into a sharp and hurting thorn, or a warm and helpful hand, this is our own choice.
Of course, light and darkness always accompany each other. Lincoln was eventually assassinated, and Skeeter also lost his boyfriend because he was speaking for the black maid and made himself unable to gain a foothold in a small town and had to travel far to New York. But the long and dark journey and the small and fragile individual are not excuses for us to be numb and indifferent. It is precisely the reason why we need to help each other. Because helping each other is to give others a chance, but also to give yourself a chance. Give others a belief, and give yourself a belief. Give others a piece of love, and let yourself be loved again!
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