摘要

    本文以一种人性的角度对小说《相助》进行解读。在小说中有三个主要的叙述者：两个黑人女佣Aibileen，Minny和一个大学刚毕业，涉世未深的白人小姐Skeeter。讲述了她们在当时的种族运动与女权主义兴起的社会大背景下走到一起并互相帮助的故事。本文深刻地挖掘小说所赋予角色的人格精神，从三个角度进行分析：宽容与乐观，不屈与抗争，原谅与爱。笔者将这种精神延伸，探讨人性的至真至善。小说主人公们表现出的善良、乐观、坚强不屈、对梦想和自由的美好憧憬的品质，仿佛一颗外柔内刚的灵魂，脉动时代的声音，不断地推进社会的进步。


关键词：相助；种族歧视；爱；信任；外柔内刚

Abstract

This paper, from the perspective of human nature, has an interpretation of the novel The Help. In the novel, there are three main narrators ---two black maids Aibileen and Minny, a white lady Skeeter. They are in the backdrop of racial movement and Feminist chose to get together and help each other. This paper digs deeply the sprit of their personality given by the novel and from three aspects to analyze the sprit: toleration and optimism; unbending and fight; forgiveness and love. I will extend the sprit to explore human nature of truth and goodness. These protagonists in the novel who show kindness, optimism, courage, vision of dream and freedom, just like velvet glove soul, to keep pushing social progress forward.

Key words: the help; racial discrimination; love; trust；velvet glove

1. Introduction

1.1 Background of The Help
    The Help was written by American writer Kathryn Stockett in 2009. It was her first novel and took her five years to complete. The Help published in 35countries and in three languages. This story tells about African American maids who work in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, starts from the black maid, gradually showing a complex ethnic problem between American whites and blacks in 1960s. As we all know, racism routed in American history. Even Martin Luther King uses the way of advocated non-violent, the problem which still has a strong smell of gunpowder.
A USA Today article called it one of 2009's "summer sleeper hits". An early review in The New York Times noted Stockett's "affection and intimacy buried beneath even the most seemingly impersonal household connections" and says the book is a "button-pushing, soon to be wildly popular novel". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said of the book, "This heartbreaking story is a stunning debut from a gifted talent".