Critical Lens Essay
Arielle Hall
October 4, 2011
Professor Sieben
“The Truth does not set us all Free”
William James states that “The greatest enemy of any one of our truths may be the rest of our truths”. This is a hard truth to understand and take in, but through a critical look into two texts, I will provide evidence to the fact that many times the truth of one person is destroyed or stifled by the truth and values of others in a given society. In The Help by Kathryn Stockett and the film, The Stoning of Soraya M. directed by Cyrus Nowasteh, the way in which truth for one can be turned into something detrimental by others becomes a painful reality and I will demonstrate the way in which these two pieces speak to the truth of James’s point. The truth for Skeeter Phelan in The Help turns out to be personally freeing but is attacked by the popular culture in her world; with the consequence of losing her life Soraya stands by her truth even though the culture of her world does not respect a woman’s truth. Therefore, using their truth to discredit hers.
In The Help by Kathryn Stockett the truth that Skeeter helps bring to life destroys a part of her social life. Skeeter provides a stage for the women of color, who are labeled “the help”, to tell their stories; therefore, they give an inside look into the racism that was present in Mississippi during the 1960’s. By doing this, Skeeter being a white young woman lost some of the ties she had to her friends, such as Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefoot, who find comfort in their existence as the “dominant” race. Many of the white women in the novel do not want to acknowledge the racism and state of society that Skeeter gives voice to; therefore they penalize Skeeter for her version of the truth. “You got nothing left her but enemies in the Junior League and a mama that’s gonna drive you to drink. You done burned ever bridge there is. And you ain’t never gone get another boyfriend in this town and everybody knows it. So don’t walk you white butt to New York, run it” (Sockett). In this excerpt, Skeeter is getting advice from Aibeleen about possibly leaving Mississippi for New York. Also this quote describes the negative affect that writing a book with the help of colored women in Mississippi had on Skeeter’s life. Skeeter lost a part of her life in sharing the truth because others chose to stick to a truth that helps them to feel justified in their racist thoughts and actions. There are also characters such as Hilly who serve as a foil for Skeeter because Hilly represents the racist ideologies of her time, reinforcing the negative reaction from many to what Skeeter does. Also the point of views from which the novel is told through Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter enforce the side which the author is encouraging readers to identify with as.
Soraya in The Stoning of Soraya M. directed by Cyrus Nowasteh lost her life because she maintained her truth that was not accepted by the dominant gender of her world. The film, set in 1986 Iran, is centered around the incredible injustice done to an innocent young women, left powerless against the males in her society. Soraya insists that she is innocent because her husband has made a lie up in order to be rid of Soraya as a wife, so that he may marry a younger female. Soraya’s penalty for infidelity is death by stoning. Soraya’s cousin proclaiming her innocence says to a prominent figure who could stop the stoning, “Yes it’s clear, all women are guilty, and all men are innocent”. This scene in the film speaks to the fact that a women’s truth has no place in male dominated world, where women are as the men say they are. This is what allows Soraya to still face persecution, even after proclaiming the truth. The truth of the men in Soraya’s world leaves her powerless and they attack her truth by standing behind their version of the truth. Soraya’s death, which is graphically shown in the movie, symbolizes the idea that even the innocent and honest can be destroyed among people who value their own truth and refuse to see that of others. While being stoned, Soraya is dressed in white and this seems to be a purposeful choice as a last testament to her innocence and honesty, because white represents purity for some. As a narrator Soraya’s aunt has a sorrowful and dark tone that foreshadows something horrific about to take place.
The Help and The Stoning of Soraya M. differ in their tone and the ways in which they support the quote by James. In The Help there is a lighter tone and Stockett uses characterization, point of view, setting, and other elements to create a vivid picture for readers of life in Mississippi during the 1960’s, for white and colored women. In The Stoning of Soraya M., Cyrus Nowrasteh uses symbolism, dialogue, setting, and mood to create a world where injustice breathes freely. Both texts are based on real historical occurrences. The Help uses the backdrop of a time were racism and prejudice were prevalent in America as an arena to bring certain truths and ideas to light. The Stoning of Soraya M. is based on a true story and is set during a time when the rights of women were dangerously suppressed in Iran. These pieces do something interesting by taking something that was real to bring the audience into the story, helping us to understand the truths being conveyed by the stories, which go deeper than the individual situations of the characters.
The honesty of “The greatest enemy of any one of our truths may be the rest of our truths” written by William James is found throughout the stories of the novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Stoning of Soraya M, directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh. The Help tells of the story of three women and the ways their lives intertwine in 1960’s Mississippi; Stockett use of these characters conveys the way in which some truths are not freeing or positive for everyone. One’s truth can be destroyed by the values/ truths of others. In The Stoning of Soraya M. we are painfully reminded that the truth has deadly consequences when it is not accepted by others and is attacked. Nowrasteh’s use of tone and mood help push this idea to the forefront. These pieces and the quote from James prove that the truth is real but its survival is a matter or circumstance.
* I wanted to color my revisions to make them clear, but most of my revising was cutting what seemed unecessary or more like summary.
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