In 1902, the family of William Faulkner, Nobel Prize-winning author, employed a black maid named Caroline Barr to care for their household in Oxford, Mississippi. Born in the 1840s before slavery was abolished about 20 years later, she bore deep wounds related to the era of slavery in the United States.
Of course, the household called her by her real name, but William referred to her as “Mammy Callie” because, beyond managing the home, Caroline also acted as a nanny for the Faulkner siblings. William’s bond with Caroline grew strong enough that he drew upon her tragic experiences in his writings, including the short story “Go Down, Moses,” which he dedicated to her. He openly acknowledged Caroline as a ‘second mother.’
Meanwhile, Kathryn Stockett, a writer who also grew up in Mississippi, had a black maid named Demetrie who cared for her during childhood. As an adult, she realized Demetrie was like a second mother to her, embodying unconditional maternal love. This realization inspired her to write a novel about this emotional phenomenon, which became the bestselling book titled “The Help.”
Beyond Stockett’s personal story, she researched others’ similar experiences, especially through the book “Telling Memories Among Southern Women” by Susan Tucker, which compiles interviews from 42 black and white women. All testified that black maids were like “mothers” to the community, privy to secrets and providing warmth to children even more than their biological parents.
Stockett spent about five years writing The Help and faced 60 rejections over three and a half years. Undeterred, she revised the manuscript until Penguin Books accepted it in 2009. The Help became a global bestseller, selling 15 million copies, translated into over 40 languages across 35 countries, and made The New York Times Best Seller list.
However, Stockett faced a lawsuit from her real-life maid, Ablene Cooper, who worked for Stockett’s brother for many years. In 2011, Cooper sued Stockett for allegedly stealing her name and likeness without permission, arguing that the character Aibileen shared similar name and life details. The judge ultimately dismissed the case.
That same year, the film adaptation of The Help was released, directed by Tate Taylor, a screenwriter and friend of Stockett. Taylor had negotiated the film rights before the book was published. The Help was nominated for four Oscars, with Octavia Spencer winning Best Supporting Actress. The film succeeded commercially, earning $221 million on a $25 million budget.
Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s, The Help is told from the perspective of Eugenia, a young female writer seeking stories from Aibileen and Minnie, two black maids who endure racial discrimination while working in white households. The story reveals 1960s American social values, where women struggled to care for children and maintain appearances for their husbands, while black maids did the real child-rearing amid racial segregation and false accusations such as theft.
A particularly poignant aspect is Aibileen’s confession about the pain of caring for white children all day while leaving her own child at home alone. This reflects how many black mothers of that era had to leave their own children unattended to work, regardless of illness. It also highlights the complex emotional relationship between white children and black maids, where white children see maids as part of their family, but black maids must maintain strict racial boundaries.
Several scenes in The Help show black maids offering more love and care than biological mothers, such as Aibileen’s care for Mae Mobley, a white child scolded by her real mother for her appearance and crying. Aibileen comforts and teaches Mae to say, “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” These moving moments show how non-biological mothers build children’s self-esteem.
The Help is not mere fiction but grounded in reality, where white children’s upbringing involved emotional bonds with black maids who often acted as wet nurses from the 1700s to 1900s. However, this relationship evolved into a class hierarchy within the household, with white families teaching children their superior status through terms like “Young Master” or “Young Mistress,” reinforcing their dominance over maids who cared for them.
The case of William Faulkner shows that despite advances in human rights and the end of slavery, white children grew up with greater awareness of shared humanity and recognized their lives were shaped more by black maids’ care than their own parents. Similarly, Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” grew up in 1930s Alabama under the care of a black maid, Hattie Bell, due to her mother’s mental illness. Hattie inspired the character Calpurnia, the mother figure to Scout and Jem Finch in a single-father household, with the novel addressing racial injustice faced by African Americans.
Because motherhood can arise beyond biological ties and crosses racial boundaries, The Help became a novel and film that not only depict 1960s racial discrimination but also convey to today’s audiences that “love knows no borders.” This love shapes and influences a person’s growth and character equally.
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