Essentially, Constantine was more of a mother to Skeeter than her own.  Constantine was able to validate Skeeter's voice as she grew up.  An example of this was when she was called "ugly."  As a child. Skeeter was not the type to wear pretty dresses and be admired by all of the boys.  She was not dainty.  When she was called, "ugly" it affected Skeeter in a visceral manner because it was a reminder that she was an "outsider" and would never be permitted to "fit into" the world of beauty and acceptance.

Being a member of "the help," Constantine knows what this experience is like.  She nurtures Skeeter from the heart when she tells them that the people who call her names are "fools."  In disparaging what others say, Constantine laid a profound foundation for Skeeter.  It was this moment that Skeeter comes back to repeatedly in going against the current, finding her own voice, and embracing the condition of what can be as opposed to what is.  As Skeeter grew up, she found a kindred spirit in Constantine, one that provided sanctuary and care.  When Skeeter would seethe at the rest of the world, she was able to find a set of eyes in Constantine that communicated, "“You are fine with me."  These lessons help to establish that Constantine played a major role in Skeeter's maturation and growth.

In The Help, how does Constantine help Skeeter mature?

In The Help, author Kathryn Stockett clearly portrays just how much Eugenia Phelan, nicknamed Skeeter, valued her maid Constantine as a surrogate mother, valuing her much more than her own, still living mother.

In Chapter 5, we learn that Skeeter grew up to be tall and gangly and feel unattractive. We also learn that one way in which Constantine helps Skeeter grow up is through teaching her she has "a choice in what [she] could believe." Skeeter relays the story of being called ugly for the first time, at the age of 13, by one her brother's friends. Constantine first consoles her by saying that ugliness is only based on what people are like on the inside, not the outside. She then explains that every day, Skeeter will have to ask herself, "Am I gone believe what them fools say about me today(it)?" In addition, after that, every morning Skeeter came into the kitchen, Constantine greeted her with, "Good morning, beautiful girl!," which stood in great contrast with her own mother's reaction towards her. In contrast, Skeeter's own mother constantly nitpicked about Skeeter's appearance, telling her every possible chance to take care of a blemish or brush her hair, making Skeeter want to essentially hide from her mother.

In addition, since Constantine was taller than Skeeter, Skeeter felt that Constantine was the only person she could both literally and figuratively look up to. Skeeter had to look up to Constantine literally to look into her light brown, "honey-colored" eyes, and she looked up to Constantine figuratively as the one person she could share secrets with. In fact, they both shared secrets with each other, which made Skeeter feel she could trust Constantine more and more. For example, Constantine knew that Skeeter secretly started smoking at the age of 14. At one point, Constantine even shares a story with Skeeter about her white father that makes Skeeter feel closer to Constantine. By the time Skeeter has graduated college, she has matured into an ambitious, self-possessed woman, who is even bold enough to pursue jobs in publishing and journalism, and all of these qualities are due to Constantine's influence.

How does Constantine help Skeeter mature in The Help by Kathryn Stockett?

Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan grew up in the white high-society Southern culture of the 1950s and 1960s. Constantine was the black maid who served the Phelan family at the Longleaf estate. She basically raised Skeeter and her brother Carlton. She also became a confidant and friend to Skeeter. The young girl knew she couldn’t share her problems, dreams, or opinions with her own mother or father because they would wave off her worries or tell her they were unimportant. Skeeter could share anything with Constantine, though, and she knew she would receive support and decent, applicable answers. Skeeter reveals their relationship most in Chapter 5. When Skeeter once cried because classmates called her “ugly,” Constantine boosted her spirit and self-esteem. She made sure the girl knew she was a worthwhile person in her own right. When Skeeter began smoking cigarettes as a teenager behind her parents’ backs, Constantine quietly disapproved but warned her if her mother was approaching. Constantine even wrote to Skeeter when she went away to college at Ole Miss. They shared secrets with one another. They were friends, in spite of the way their culture expected them to behave. Skeeter was devastated to come home from college and find out Constantine had left the estate for good. She was the one person who would have understood Skeeter’s current dilemmas. The last line of the chapter reads: “I had to accept that Constantine, my one true ally, had left me to feud for myself with these people.” So from this point on, Skeeter has to draw from what she thinks Constantine would tell her if she were still here. In a way, the maid is still teaching her about life.

How has Constantine helped Skeeter grow up in The Help?

Constantine was the black maid who served Skeeter’s family, the Phelans, in the 1950s. She’s the one who raised Skeeter and her older brother, Carlton. Skeeter saw her as a secret friend in the family too. While she couldn’t really talk or relate to her own parents, she could confide in Constantine. The maid was sure to give honest, down-to-earth answers, based on how life really worked. The details of their relationship are revealed most in Chapter 5. When Skeeter was once upset because someone called her “ugly,” Constantine confirmed and insisted that she was a good person in her own right. When Skeeter smoked cigarettes behind her parents’ backs, Constantine kept the secret, even though she didn’t approve of the habit. When Skeeter went away to college, she and Constantine kept in touch by writing letters. They could be honest with one another on paper. Skeeter was shocked to come home after graduation only to find that Constantine had left the household for Chicago, without even saying goodbye. The young woman felt as if she had been abandoned by her closest confidant. At the end of the chapter, she says, “I had to accept that Constantine, my one true ally, had left me to fend for myself with these people.” Now she had to draw on only her memories of Constantine’s sage advice in order to deal with real-life issues.