Heroism 

(Spoilers!! Read the whole book)

My definition of a hero would be someone that consistently stands up for what they believe in despite what the consequences of their actions could be. A hero could also be someone who helps others no matter what could come of it.

In The Help, I would say that Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter are all very heroic characters.

Skeeter, Minny, and Aibileen
(http://www.lightsremoteaction.com/2011/08/help-theatrical-review.html)

They are all risking their lives in order to show the world the relationship of colored maids in the south. Skeeter loses all of her friends because they figure out about her carrying Jim Crow Laws in her bag and at the end of the book they end up finding out that Skeeter was the one to write The Help. Despite knowing how her friends would react if they ever found out about her writing the book, she continued to do it anyway because she did not agree with the way that they were treating their maids and felt she needed to do something about it.

Aibileen and Minny are risking their lives to get their stories out there. They know what could happen to them if they get caught. It is not like where Skeeter would just be shunned for what she did, Aibileen and Minny would most likely be killed for helping Minny with the book, along with all of the other maids who chose to tell their stories. When Skeeter’s old best friend Hilly Holbrook finds out that Aibileen’s story was in the book, she made her friend Elizabeth Leefolt fire Aibileen and she was forced to leave. She knew she would never be able to find another job because Hilly was the town gossip and the whole town of Jackson would soon find out about it. Minny’s husband abuses her and she knew that if he ever found out he would hurt her very bad, but she decided to tell her story anyway.

All of these characters have heroic qualities and show bravery countless times in this book because they feel they need to get the word out about the way the help is treated in Jackson, MS.