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Stuart Whitworth, Jr.
Skeeter’s childhood maid, Constantine is like a second mother to her, providing love and compassion. The novel begins in the months after Constantine has left Jackson for Chicago without telling Skeeter. Throughout the novel, Skeeter tries to find out what happened to her, eventually learning the truth from Aibileen. Ashamed that her daughter Lulabelle was pale-skinned, Constantine gave her up for adoption when she was four. But Constantine feels guilt over this moment of weakness and ultimately tries to redeem herself by leaving Jackson to go live with her estranged daughter in Chicago. Over sixty years old, Constantine only lives in Chicago for three weeks before she dies.
Constantine Bates Quotes in The Help
The The Help quotes below are all either spoken by Constantine Bates or refer to Constantine Bates. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5 Quotes
“Now you look a here, Eugenia”—because Constantine was the only one who’d occasionally follow Mama’s rule. “Ugly live up on the inside. Ugly be a hurtful, mean person.”
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Constantine Bates Character Timeline in The Help
The timeline below shows where the character Constantine Bates appears in The Help. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
...her own home used by their current maid Pascagoula, Skeeter remembers her beloved childhood maid, Constantine Bates.
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Skeeter remembers growing up under Constantine’s care. One time, Skeeter came home crying after being called ugly at age thirteen. Constantine...
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Skeeter and Constantine sent each other letters when Skeeter went to college. Weeks before her graduation, Constantine sent...
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Chapter 6
...and Aibileen quickly dispatches the answers. Before she leaves, Skeeter asks if Aibileen knew why Constantine, a well-known and beloved woman in the black community, would quit and move away. Aibileen...
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Upset about the news that Constantine was fired, Skeeter returns home and asks Charlotte if she fired Constantine. At first, her...
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...them, Aibileen tells Skeeter that it’s wrong that she doesn’t know the truth about why Constantine left. Aibileen says her mother, Charlotte Phelan, fired Constantine because of something to do with...
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Chapter 21
...desk at home, Skeeter feels ashamed while she types up Hilly’s ad. She worries what Constantine would think of her now.
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Chapter 27
...about adding a more personal story. Aibileen agrees to tell Skeeter about what happened with Constantine. She just needs a few days to find the best way of telling her. A...
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Aibileen takes a day off of work to meet with Skeeter and tell her Constantine’s story. Twenty years ago, Constantine’s daughter, Lulabelle, was born with very white skin and blonde...
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At home Skeeter reads the story. Right away, she starts writing about Constantine for the book, but she finds that she can’t stand writing about what her mother...
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The next day Skeeter tells Charlotte she knows about everything that happened with Constantine, but that she wants to hear her mother’s side of the story. Feeling judged by...
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...never come to her house again. Lulabelle spits in her face. Charlotte, even angrier, tells Constantine she cannot work in their home if she stays in touch with her daughter. Unwilling...
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Chapter 34
...is leaving for New York tomorrow, but with a one-day layover in Chicago to visit Constantine’s grave. Before Skeeter leaves, Aibileen says, “Go to New York, Miss Skeeter. Go find your...
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