THE BLACK MAID’S VOICE IN KATHRYN STOCKETT’S THE HELP

Abstract

This study dealt with the Black maid’s voice in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. The
study was conducted by using descriptive qualitative approach. The objectives of
the study were to find the actions and sayings that the Black maids do and say,
and the consequences toward the actions. The data were collected from the
narrations and dialogues in the novel. The study revealed that there are three
multiple resistances that the black maids do in the novel according to Shorter-
Gooden and Jones’ theory: ongoing internal coping strategies, ongoing external
coping strategy, and ongoing specific strategy. The consequences that they faced
before the publication of the book are: physical abuse, loss of employment,
destruction of property, and family’s live. The book was the representative of their
sayings to White people. The responses of White people were analyzed by
Peccei’s perlocutionary acts theory and the responses are: White woman threat the
writer and everyone who participated in that book, White woman refused the book
and another one felt happy because everything about her was good in the book.