¶ … sympathy toward Skeeter as the protagonist of the story, because she is caught between two worlds. She is desperately and earnestly attempting to understand the world of the African-American maids that have helped her. Her loe of Constantine drives her to understand, and to possibly help by writing her book. Her sincerity is what makes me most sympathetic toward her. At the same time, it is easy to relate to Minny. Minny's anger and resentment is understandable given her situation and what her family and friends have been through, and therefore necessary for engendering the reader's sympathy for the underclass African-Americans. Hilly is a character who is easy to dislike but she is also a fairly one-dimensional character. There is no sense that Hilly has a conscience at all, and maybe she does not. She has an abrasive personality that represents the worst of American culture. There is no other character that I would feel completely resentful...

Skeeter is the protagonist, but her desire to write about African-American life seems somehow condescending. Why doesn't Skeeter encourage Minny or Aibeleen to write about their lives instead of presuming that she can write their story for them? Because her actions seem patronizing, it is easy to resent Skeeter when it is really the author of the book that is the culprit. Even though she is sincere, her efforts resemble the perpetuation of white dominance over all of American culture.
3. The transformation from a loving child to racist parent happens organically but the experience is different for each person. Socialization into the dominant culture is the primary means by which this happens. Hilly is the main character that represents the perpetuation of racism and race-based stereotypes. Her attitudes are not shared by Skeeter, because Skeeter did not allow…