MovieChat Forums > The Help (2011) Discussion > 46 dollars???

46 dollars???

posted 9 years ago by DaphneMeridian300
6 replies | jump to latest

I understand (to an extent) that certain amounts of money today were considered a lot back then. But when minnie got the $46 i couldn't help but think that's not a lot at all even for that time

[–] cataclysm1071 9 years ago

$46.00 in 1963/64...worth about $365.00 in 2015. But considering this family probably had next to nothing...it was probably a nice little windfall for them.

[–] Doc80 9 years ago

Remember that Minnie had a husband who beat her and that if she could have left him she would have. That money was enough, especially with more coming, for her to be able to leave. So yes, not a ton but enough to get her out of an awful situation

[–] 5uperman 9 years ago

They did say in the movie that they earn about $108 a month. So $46 (about 2 weeks of pay without lifting a finger) coming out of nowhere from an acquaintance is pretty good.

[–] wyldeone2 8 years ago

Like 5uperman replied:

They did say in the movie that they earn about $108 a month. So $46 (about 2 weeks of pay without lifting a finger) coming out of nowhere ... is pretty good.

If you ever watch any old B&W TV shows like Andy Griffith that are filmed and set in their current time period of 1960-64 and same time frame of this movie, look at food prices they have posted on store windows and farm vendors. You will see things like bread 15 cents a loaf, beef 24 cents a pound. Farm vendors selling okra for 1 cent each, squash for 2 cents. Luxury items that the help rarely got like a bottle of coke, bag of chips or large candy bar cost 5 cents each. Now they all cost more than $1 each. Even though the help didn't own a car, some of the black folks at their church did. Gas cost less than 25 cents a gallon.

Depending on the house, rent (if not already owned by ancestors) could be less than $30 a month. So having an extra $46 to move out from her husband's beatings was doable.

_____

Books and movies are usually better than real life.

[–] TheFilmLuvR 8 years ago

Also, the money was split between all the maids who had participated in telling their stories for the book, which made the amounts even less.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2411) 8 years ago

and in all likelihood these women were earning bellow minimum wage for back then. The women who were employing them---with likely the exception of Celia Foote--were paying them whatever they felt like. This was not uncommon back then.