Charlotte Phelan

Biography
Charlotte Boudreau Cantelle Phelan is the 50-year-old overbearing mother of Skeeter Phelan and Carlton. She is losing a battle with cancer. She reinforces the ideas of what it means to be a white Southern woman. She tries to control every aspect of Skeeter's appearance and her life but her efforts backfire. Charlotte is married to her husband, Robert Phelan. Constantine Bates is Charlotte's beloved 80-year-old African American maid who had raised Skeeter ever since she was a young girl. [[File:Charlotte_with_Skeeter.jpg|thumb|C

harlotte talking with Skeeter]] Charlotte is having a meal with Grace Higginbotham and the other white women from Washington DC. Charlotte does not want to show that she loves Rachel Bates and tells her to go. She closes the screen door on a stunned Rachel. Rachel opens the door and walks into the dining room while the other women are shocked. As Rachel welcomes her mother, Grace stands up, completely stunned, and forces Charlotte to make an unpleasant call. Charlotte demands Rachel to leave the house.

Constantine pulls her daughter towards the kitchen. Charlotte blocks the path to the front door and demands Rachel and Constantine to leave the house at once. Rachel and Constantine are forced to leave. Rachel leads her sad, frail mother out the door. The screen door slams shut behind them. Constantine turns and, placing her hand on the screen door, looks at Charlotte for a final time. Charlotte looks torn as she walks to the door and closes it on them. Later on, Charlotte realizes about Skeeter's book and tells Skeeter that she got a call from Elaine Stein the night before. Surprisingly, Charlotte is not mad at her daughter for what she had done. "Courage sometimes skips a generation. Thank you for brining it back to our family." Charlotte hugs and kisses Skeeter.