Constantine Bates, the African American maid who raised Skeeter Phelan in The Help , was deeply loved by Skeeter and cared for her like a mother
. However, Constantine's story takes a tragic turn. Constantine had a daughter named Lulabelle, who was light-skinned and born out of wedlock. Due to the intense racial prejudices of the time in Mississippi, Constantine sent Lulabelle away to an orphanage in Chicago to protect her from discrimination and danger
. Later, Lulabelle came back to Mississippi and caused a scene at a Daughters of America luncheon by acting as one of the white guests and spitting in the face of Skeeter's mother, Charlotte Phelan. Charlotte then forced Constantine to choose between keeping her job with the Phelans or being with her daughter. This led to Constantine leaving the Phelan household and moving to Chicago with Lulabelle
. Shortly after moving to Chicago, Constantine fell ill and died within about three weeks. Skeeter's mother never reconciled with Constantine, and the guilt over this separation weighed heavily on her
. In summary, Constantine was fired by Skeeter's mother due to the racial tensions surrounding her daughter Lulabelle, which led to Constantine relocating to Chicago, where she passed away shortly thereafter
