13. Who was Constantine? What happened to her?
Constantine was ‘the help’ of the Phelan family. According to Skeeter, Constantine was more of a motherly figure to her, than her own mother was. As she grew older, Constantine became slow when completing her duties. One day, Charlotte decided to invite the Daughters’ of America to her house in honour of her promotion as part of the committee. A very important member, Gracie Higginbotham, becomes aware of Constantine’s incompetence. Rachel, Constantine’s daughter appears at the door, and is told by Charlotte to enter through the kitchen, to avoid the committee meeting. Rachel disobeys her and intrudes on the meeting, creating a scene in front of all the other women. Gracie is appalled that Charlotte would allow this behaviour in her household, forcing Charlotte to fire Constantine. Charlotte kept this from Skeeter, as she knew she would not receive approval from her daughter.
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The Phelan family treated Constantine differently from the other southern families. She was welcomed as more of an equal, rather than just a slave. This was suggested through Charlotte’s response to her behavior while she retold the story to Skeeter. Charlotte had tears in her eyes after revealing her story, implying that she was regretful of her actions.
The way Charlotte interacted with Rachel and Constantine also hinted that they had a friendly relationship. Early in the scene, when Charlotte receives a badge in honour of her new appointment, she makes a visible wink towards Constantine. This shows that she was willing to share her achievement with Constantine, indicating that she was an important part of Charlotte’s