The scratch on the dining room table - The Help (2011) Discussion

[–] srcs 9 years ago

In the book I think it is explained a little more.
In the movie, before the bridge game, we see Elizabeth nod at Aibileen while she is setting the table. We see the mark and Aibileen move a dish to cover the mark

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[–] kathryn_nashville 9 years ago

thanks srcs. I haven't read the book.....does it explain how the scratch got there....who is responsible for it?

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[–] srcs 9 years ago

I don't think , at least as far as I can recall, that the scratch is explained.

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[–] galluslass 9 years ago

i thougt this was a silly, sloppy plot device. It seemed sloppy to include the scratch which was quite unimportant to the maids story but was an identifying feature which could help give away the maid's and towns identity.

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[–] LiteraryLane 9 years ago

The book goes into a little more detail about how Elizabeth tries too hard to keep up with her fiends. Aibileen is actually pretty critical of Elizabeth's vanity in addition to her negligent attitude towards her children. Aibileen's thought's about her employer must it have made it into Skeeter's book, which would humiliate and anger Elizabeth. In the movie we get a small glimpse of Mr. and Mrs. Leefolt's problems from their argument. Some of these details are left to the interpretation of the audience, which I'm fine with. The only thing that really bothers me is that they drastically altered the scene in which Constantine gets fired. I loved this movie so much that I read the book almost immediately after seeing it for the first time.

"It is rare for people to be asked the question which puts them squarely in front of themselves."

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[–] srcs 9 years ago

Thanks for mentioning how Elizabeth was trying to "keep up with the Joneses". I had meant to add a bit more, but got sidetracked :)

I liked how Aibileen mentioned how Elizabeth was always trying to keep up.

I read the book about a week before I saw the movie. I too was bothered how they completely destroyed the entire Constantine issue. I think they did a great disservice to the author and the fans.

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[–] rabbyt1 9 years ago

Elizabeth's husband wasn't as rich, hence why she'd make furniture covers for things, make her own dresses and asked if it looked store bought, and so on. Her husband even gets mad about the bathroom issue because of the cost.

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[–] mvrk 8 years ago

How did Constantine get fired in the book?

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[–] januaryjoy_83 9 years ago

Elizabeth wasn't rich so she bought used or hand me down furniture. The table was used and the scratched reflected that so she would cover the scratch in embarrassment.

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mvrk 8 years ago

The L scratch was just to show the vanity of white people at the time that a scratch made on the table by a black maid was a big deal enough to get someone fired. Maybe Abilene didn't make the scratch but it seems Hilly believed she did and such a trivial thing was a big thing to her.

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[–] sim7396 (121) 4 years ago

In the movie, at least, the scratch is important to the extent that it "proves" that the stories in the book are not only real but that they pertain to real people in Jackson. Elizabeth, and people close to her, know about the scratch! That's a big deal because it shows the book is based on real-life stories.

In the book, of course, you have more room for all series of subplots, minor characters, etc., etc. Apparently the book makes it clear that Elizabeth's family has less money than her friends. The movie only hints at these issues.

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