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Kate Wetherall
Constance is the youngest member of the Society—and the most disagreeable. She earned her place on the team not by passing Mr. Benedict’s tests, but by amusing him with her intelligent and witty refusals to participate, which often take the form of rude poems. The other children dislike Constance at the start of the story, and they do not understand why Mr. Benedict has accepted her. She is openly rude, teasing Sticky about being named “George Washington” and snapping at the others when they annoy her. She also seems to lack the others’ intelligence, since she frequently has to ask the meaning of words. However, Mr. Benedict insists that she has an important role to play. That role becomes apparent when Constance reveals that she can hear the voices of the Messengers when Mr. Curtain powers up his mind-controlling Whisperer machine. Her capability becomes even more impressive when the children learn that Constance is only two years old (for much of the novel, her age is a secret). In the climax, Constance further proves herself to be a vital member of the team by willingly subjecting herself to the Whisperer’s power. She is so stubborn that she is able to resist the Whisperer’s mind-controlling effects, though the effort exhausts her. At the end of the story, Mr. Benedict adopts her as his daughter.
Constance Contraire Quotes in The Mysterious Benedict Society
The The Mysterious Benedict Society quotes below are all either spoken by Constance Contraire or refer to Constance Contraire. 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 35
Quotes
It has to be all four of us, but Constance can’t handle them. You can handle them, though. It will be rough, but you can handle them.
(Part of Kate believed this––a very important part, for Kate’s sense of invincibility was the main thing that had sustained her all her young life alone. But another part did not believe this––and it, too, was an important part, for unless you know about this part it is impossible to understand how brave a thing Kate was about to do.)
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37
Quotes
For a moment Constance and Mr. Curtain both trembled violently, as if caught in an earthquake….And then, in a voice so loud it hurt everybody’s ears, Constance exclaimed: “I…don’t…CARE!”
… This was Constance’s great gift––the gift of stubborn independence––and she was bringing it to bear with all her might.
For all her valiant resistance, though, the child was, after all, only a child….She could not hold out forever.
Chapter 39
Quotes
“Just a few minutes more, Number Two. Let them play. They are children, after all.”
And this was certainly true, if only for the moment.
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Constance Contraire Quotes in The Mysterious Benedict Society
The The Mysterious Benedict Society quotes below are all either spoken by Constance Contraire or refer to Constance Contraire. 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 35
Quotes
It has to be all four of us, but Constance can’t handle them. You can handle them, though. It will be rough, but you can handle them.
(Part of Kate believed this––a very important part, for Kate’s sense of invincibility was the main thing that had sustained her all her young life alone. But another part did not believe this––and it, too, was an important part, for unless you know about this part it is impossible to understand how brave a thing Kate was about to do.)
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37
Quotes
For a moment Constance and Mr. Curtain both trembled violently, as if caught in an earthquake….And then, in a voice so loud it hurt everybody’s ears, Constance exclaimed: “I…don’t…CARE!”
… This was Constance’s great gift––the gift of stubborn independence––and she was bringing it to bear with all her might.
For all her valiant resistance, though, the child was, after all, only a child….She could not hold out forever.
Chapter 39
Quotes
“Just a few minutes more, Number Two. Let them play. They are children, after all.”
And this was certainly true, if only for the moment.
