Kathryn Stockett's The Help

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In “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett, there are numerous quotes that support the theme that bad things only exist on the inside. This lesson is precisely shown in Constantine’s quote to Skeeter, “Ugly live up on the inside. Ugly be a hurtful, mean person” (73). This quote is said in order to console Skeeter when she believes that she is ugly after being called it by a friend of her brother’s. This upsets her because she knows no better than to believe what anyone older than her tells her, and the kind person Constantine is has to prove to her that she cannot give up so easily. That she needs to realize that she is a good person, and beautiful on the inside, where it really counts. Constantine’s words truly mean that ugly is what is on the inside, …show more content…

Skeeter seems to breath and live from the words Constantine fed her while raising her, Constantine being her main friend. The only friend who truly loved her, and showed it through her words, kindness, and actions. Her words about ugly living up on the inside show Skeeter that the only reason she had to deal with being called ugly was because miserable people like to take advantage of kind people’s hearts. All of this is significant to Skeeter because she always seems to be lonely, not quite fitting in because of her looks, height, and ideas. This means that when she is called ugly she feels even less like she fits in. For someone who is popular and has lots of friends to call her ugly makes her feel ugly and disliked, the only thing counteracting this is Constantine’s encouraging, truthful words. The problem is that Constantine is a lower-class, black woman, and Skeeter has to realize that what people are on the outside does not matter. What is on the inside is what truly counts. When Skeeter accepts this in the story, becoming friendly with the black women of the city, she becomes able to fit into her true people, realizing the theme, that color does not matter and that bad things only exist on the

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