| In the Book |
In the Movie |
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Skeeter gets a job writing the Miss Myrna column for the paper. She just applies for the job and gets it. |
She gets the job by showing a rejection letter she received from Miss Stein in New York. It says she needs more experience. |
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After Skeeter is offered the job, she is in shock and after the Editor offers her 8 dollars a week, he mistakes her shock for holding out for more money. He then offers 10 dollars a week. |
He only offers 8 dollars and she takes it gladly.
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Skeeter confronts her Mother about Constantine's leaving when they are alone together. She asks her Dad the next day, and he claims to know nothing. |
Skeeter asks while at a family dinner. Everyone says that Constantine left. |
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Skeeter is big and tall. |
Emma Stone, who plays Skeeter in the movie is 5'4" and slim.
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Skeeter confesses to Aibileen that she has sent her resume, and has made phone calls to Miss Stein at Harper and Row. Aibileen then tells Skeeter that her son had wanted to be a writer and had an idea for a book about what it was like for a black man to work for a white man. He had the idea after reading a story called The Invisible Man. |
Skeeter comes up with the idea for a book about what it is like for the Black maids to work for white families. |
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Skeeter is constantly asking Aibileen what happened to Constantine. Aibileen tells her that it has something to do with Constantine's daughter that was born from a white father. Skeeter didn't even know that Constantine had a daughter at all. |
Constantine had a black daughter named Rachel that Skeeter and her family knew and loved.
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During their first date, Stuart gets drunk and tells Skeeter that he wasn't ready to date again. This happens after they return to Hilly's house. |
Skeeter storms out during the date at dinner because Stuart is drunk. He visits her house a few weeks later to apologize and tell her that he wasn't ready to date. |
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Aibileen calls Skeeter and lets her know she will help with the book. She says the reason is Miss Hilly. |
After going to church and listening to the sermon Aibileen tells Skeeter the next time she sees her that she will help with the book. When Skeeter asks her why she changed her mind she says, "God" then pauses and adds, "And Miss Hilly."
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Minny meet Johnny in the house. Celia had not told him that she had hired a maid. He had figured it out because of the improvement in cooking. He asks Minny not to let Celia know that he knows about Minny. He wants her to look after Celia. |
As Minny is walking up to the house with groceries, Johnny drives up behind her. She is frightened, but he tells her that Celia already told him she was working there. He had already figured it out because of the improvement in the food. |
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Skeeter brings Aibileen books from the White library. |
This doesn't happen.
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Minny had been fired from 19 previous jobs because of her "Sass" mouth. |
She only loses the job with Hilly. Her previous employment isn't mentioned. |
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Skeeter leaves her satchel at the league house. It contains the pamphlet regarding the laws of Mississippi about Colored people. It also has the interviews Skeeter has been working on with the maids as well as Hilly's bathroom initiative. Hilly calls Skeeter to tell her that she has it with her at her house. Skeeter gets her mother to drive to Hilly's house immediately so she can retrieve it. When she gets it back she realizes Hilly has removed the Jim Crow law pamphlet. The satchel is opened with the bathroom initiative indicating that Hilly has seen the note Skeeter wrote wondering if there is any difference between the Jim Crow law and Hilly's initiative. Hilly comments that the Stuart's father is close with a senator who was against Old Miss being desegregated. |
At the baby shower for Elizabeth, Hilly notices the Jim Crow pamphlet in Skeeter's satchel. She finds Skeeter questioning her new maid about being interviewed. Hilly says that Skeeter should be careful because there are real racists in the community who could cause her some real trouble.
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Skeeter's mother is sick and gets test done. She eventually discovers that she has cancer. |
Skeeter's mother is sick from the moment we see her. |
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After Hilly returns Skeeter's satchel, she and her circle start to distance themselves from Skeeter. |
This doesn't happen.
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The L shaped crack on the table is covered with a table cloth. |
The L shaped crack on the table is covered with a salad. |
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A naked man tries to break into Cecelia's house. Minnie tries to scare him off with a broom. He hits Minnie, and makes Ludendorff gestures. Cecelia hits him with a poker. He runs away. |
This does not happen at all.
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Hilly sends Cecelia a letter requesting 200 for the ripped dress as a donation for the children of Africa. She also asks her to refrain from volunteering for any events as she was on probation. Cecelia sends her the check. |
There is no mention of a letter, the check just arrives at Hillys. |
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Minnie believes Cecelia has a drinking problem because she is always sleeping and sneaking upstairs to drink. She finds out she is restng to avoid a miscarriage and the drink is a concoction she bought to help avoid miscarriages. |
No mention in the movie.
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Skeeter and Stuart break up - he returns to her and tells her he went to see his ex girlfriend and now that is behind him. He tells Skeeter she is now a hippy and she cheated on him and said he was a whore to his daddy. |
Didn't happen - only the final break up. |
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Aibileen tells Skeeter the truth about Constantine. |
Skeeter learns the truth from her mother.
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Constantine's daughter is named Lulabelle. She gave her up for adoption when she was four years old because she looked white. |
She has a full grown daughter named Rachel who is black. |
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Lulabelle shows up at the DAR meeting at Skeeter's house. She mingles with the 95 white women in attendance. She starts to fill in a form to join the group. Miss Phelan quietly asks her to leave and go through the back. She refuses and spits in her face. Miss Phelan tells Constantine that she can't have anything to do with her as long as she is living on the rent that they pay. Constantine is unwilling to leave her daughter so they move to Chicago together. |
Rachel shows up during the diner and wants to come in. She is told to go to the back door but she refuses and comes in the front. The president of the DAR can't believe she allows a black girl to disobey her like that. To save face she kicks her out and fires Constantine and tells her to leave as well.
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Miss Phelan sends a check to Constantine in Chicago for her birthday. Lulabelle sends it back along with the obituary for Constantine indicating she died three weeks after leaving Jackson. |
Skeeter's brother goes to Chicago to try and bring Constantine home but he discovers that she has died. |
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Stuart gives Skeeter an engagement ring but before accepting she tells him about the book she is writing. He says He doesn't know her and can't marry her. He promises not to reveal her secret. |
Stuart comes home after the book is released and tells Skeeter he doesn't want to see her anymore.
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The book is titled "Help". |
It is called "The Help". |
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Yule May sends Skeeter a letter from jail telling her that she can't work on the book because she stole a ring from Hilly that she never wore and was caught. We don't know how she gets caught. Aibileen tells Skeeter that Yule May had asked Hilly for a loan to send her boys to college. |
Yule May asks Hilly for the loan. Hilly refuses, and then we see Yule May find a ring behind the couch when she is cleaning. She pockets the ring and is later taken off the bus and arrested because she tried to pawn the ring.
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Skeeter and her family go to Stuart's house for dinner. His father keeps bringing up Stuart's ex girlfriend. After dinner Skeeter discusses it with him and he breaks up with her. They later reconcile. |
This doesn't happen. |
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The book shows that Hilly Holbrook is rude to the help. |
This is barely shown.
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In the book Aibileen is accused of stealing silverware. The silverware had been put away by a little boy in his own diaper. Apparently he has developed such a habit. |
In the film, Aibileen even mentions the fact of the baby putting things away in his diapers, but in the end we never find out what really happens to the silverware. |
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The deadline to get the book to Mrs. Stein is December 21st |
The deadline to get the book to Mrs. Stein is December 17th
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Aibileen throws up at the first meeting with Skeeter. |
This does not happen. |
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When Celia Foote called the Leefolt residence, Aibileen referred Minny to her since she was looking for a help. |
When Celia Foote called the Leefolt residence and asked if Aibileen had any recommendations for a help, she said "no".
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Hilly arrives at the Phelan residence to expose Skeeter to her mother. When Hilly sees Mrs Phelan, she was shocked at her weight loss and the other effects of cancer on her. Mrs Phelan mentioned Hilly's weight gain and she mentioned that a husband would not want to go home to an unpresentable wife. She offered to that she booked a hair appointment for both Hilly and Skeeter. There was no confrontation between Hilly and Mrs Phelan. |
Hilly arrives at the Phelan residence to expose Skeeter to her mother. When Hilly sees Mrs Phelan, she was shocked to see her. Mrs Phelan confronted Hilly and commanded her to leave her residence. |
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In the book, Hilly is described as dark-haired and somewhat plain and stocky, her weight increasing over the course of the year covered by the story. She is further depicted and perceived even by Aibileen as loving, patient and attentive to her two small children, in direct contrast to her officious mannerisms toward her peers and those she considers her social inferiors and in contrast to anxiety-ridden Elizabeth's disinterest in her own daughter. |
Hilly is slender and her appearance does not slip into sloppiness except on the occasion she tries to confront Charlotte over Skeeter's actions. Her interactions and demeanor with her children are not explored.
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Skeeter decides to take the job in New York, so Aibileen gets the job for the Miss Myrna letters. |
Doesn't happen! |
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Skeeter visits Aibileen to tell her they are printing 5000 more books and they will all be getting more money. |
No mention of more prints.
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Skeeter tells the editor that Aibileen was giving the Miss Myrna answers all along. He agrees to give Aibileen the job for the same 10 an hour that he paid Skeeter. |
This does not happen, we are left to wonder how Aibileen will make money. She does mention in her voice over that she is the writer in the family. |
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Skeeter tells Aibileen she will stop in Chicago before going to New York to visit Constantine's grave. |
No mention.
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Aibileen gives Skeeter a copy of the book signed by everyone in the church and tells her the reverend said Skeeter is part of the family. |
In the movie, Aibileen receives a signed book from the church - as seen in the church, where she calls up Minnie as well. No mention of a book for Skeeter. |
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Minny decides to leave her husband after her son is fired from his job, because of her, and her husband beats her more then usual - Aibileen tells her to leave him, since they will have more money from the book and Mr. Johnny promised her she would always have a job. |
It is mentioned she leaves her husband after the big dinner prepared by Cecelia - this does not happen in the book.
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