Toilets and bathrooms are both one of the most evident symbols in the book. They are mentioned throughout the entire novel and are constantly being brought up as an issue to Jackson. The "toilets and bathrooms" symbol is representing all that is wrong with the society that they live and the extremely false claims that are proven wrong. The white people believe in Jackson that black people carry diseases and the easiest way to carry the disease was through the use of the same toilet as a black person. The false claim was proven wrong, yet this caused extreme segregation within black and white people bathrooms. A black man is beaten just because he accidentally used a white bathroom. Even Mae Mobley was punished by her mother for using Abileen's toilet when she didn't even know any better. Hilly is a good example of being against the use of bathrooms together. She is so supportive in the issue that she files a petition to set up a law to ban blacks from nice bathrooms. Skeeter's eyes open up the excruciating truth that she was blind to all of her life. | She takes a stand from the rest of Jackson by standing up for the blacks, which has never been heard of in their community. Even with just a small courageous move like Skeeters', it can change the way the future of a race can end up. The families in Jackson start becoming more friendly to the maids and black community. After all, they are no different from each other, apart from the color of their skin. In conclusion, the symbol of toilets helps to represent the wrong and silly falseness of the 60's. It helps to remind us how big a part of racism played in the book and in that time period and helps to emphasize the previous theme of racism. |