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Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

Weather

Throughout The Help, the weather is consistently described as an extreme. Whether there is a heat wave or a brutal cold snap, the characters always seem to be searching for relief from their discomfort. This extreme weather serves as a metaphor for race relations in Jackson and the country as a whole. As the wealthy white characters of Jackson search for relief from the oppressive heat, retreating indoors to their air-conditioning, so too do they try to ignore the calls for justice echoing around the country. And just as the Black characters cannot afford the luxury of air-conditioning, neither can they afford the luxury of escaping from the reality of racial tensions. However, the harsh weather signals that the status quo of segregation will not last much longer.

Mother Figures

There are several different mother-child dynamics in The Help, though not always between a biological mother and child. This motif shows both the complexity of relationships and the transference of generational knowledge and prejudice. The long-term effect of not having a loving mother figure can be seen in Elizabeth Leefolt, whose own mother is cruel toward her. As a result, Elizabeth has no natural maternal instincts and seems to almost resent the existence of her children, especially Mae Mobley. Aibileen, who has lost her own child, fills in as Mae Mobley’s maternal figure. Aibileen tries to use this role to break the generational prejudice that she knows Mae Mobley would otherwise inherit from her parents. Skeeter also lacked a warm maternal figure in her mother yet found one in Constantine. However, she was unaware of Constantine’s complicated relationship with her daughter, whom she gave up for adoption to protect her. 

Gender

The Help is told exclusively from the point of view of women, with men serving only as minor side characters. This shows the struggles that are universal to women, regardless of race or social class, as well as the way women wield their influence given their limited power in 1960s society. In the setting of the novel, a woman’s ultimate purpose is to get married and have children. However, the different characters show how women suffer from this expectation. Minny is abused by her husband, a situation she finds hard to leave given the gender dynamics of the time. Celia desperately wants a baby but can’t hold a pregnancy. Elizabeth had children due to gender expectations, though she seems to resent them. 

Aibileen also reflects at one point about how the tools women use to exact revenge are different and subtler than the tools men use but destructive all the same. Rather than the brute violence used against Louvenia’s grandson, Robert, or Medgar Evers, women like Hilly use gossip and rumors to oppress Black people.

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