Constance by Patricia Clapp
"Constance" by Patricia Clapp is a historical novel presented in the form of a diary, chronicling the life of Constance Hopkins, a young girl who journeys on the Mayflower to establish a new life in early Plymouth. Set over a five-year period, the narrative explores Constance's adaptation to the harsh realities of colonial life, including hunger, illness, and cultural encounters with Indigenous peoples. As she navigates her roles—daughter, community member, and eventual wife—Constance grapples with her fears and desires, longing for the comforts of her previous life in London while slowly embracing her new home.
Through her experiences, readers witness the challenges of establishing a settlement, underscored by Constance's personal growth and evolving relationships, especially with figures like Samoset, a neighboring Native American, and her eventual husband, Nicholas Snow. Clapp paints a vivid picture of the time, using Constance's youthful perspective to highlight historical events without overwhelming the narrative with adult interpretations. This approach allows for a relatable exploration of universal themes such as family, friendship, and the quest for belonging amidst the backdrop of significant historical changes.
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Subject Terms
Constance by Patricia Clapp
First published: 1968
Type of work: Historical fiction
Themes: Love and romance, coming-of-age, family, and friendship
Time of work: 1620-1626
Recommended Ages: 13-15
Locale: Plymouth Plantation, Massachusetts
Principal Characters:
Constance Hopkins , a spirited fifteen-year-old girl, who comes to America on the Mayflower and settles with her family in PlymouthStephen Hopkins , her father and one of the leaders of the colonyElizabeth Hopkins , her stepmother, a kind and brave womanStephen Dane , a miller who sails to Massachusetts on the Fortune in 1621 and falls in love with ConstanceNicholas Snow , a newcomer who comes to America in 1623 and weds ConstanceMinnetuxet , a young Indian girl who becomes Constance’s friend
The Story
Written in the form of a diary, Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth focuses on the personal experiences of one young girl. Covering a span of five years, the story follows Constance Hopkins through several roles—from daughter to member of the community to wife.
After an arduous journey on the Mayflower, fifteen-year-old Constance, along with her family and a tiny band of Pilgrims, arrives in America to face the problems of establishing a permanent settlement. Brought up among the comforts of London, Constance is ill prepared for the adversity the small colony faces during its first year: inadequate housing, hunger, and an epidemic of scurvy that reduces the party by half.
Despite these hardships, the colony builds, and although Constance is reluctant to call Plymouth “home,” she dutifully falls into the patterns of daily survival. Yet the adjustment to the stark conditions in America is a hard one. Constance longs for gaiety, for new clothes, for friends, and for relief from hunger; she also fears the Indians who live nearby. When her father invites Samoset, a neighboring Indian from Pemaquid, for dinner, and Constance spends some time with this strange visitor, she begins to realize how groundless her fears were. In a surprising act of generosity, Constance asks Samoset to take her most prized possession—a gold bracelet—and give it to his daughter, Minnetuxet. This act of generosity begins a friendship that grows over the five years of the book.
Although Constance lives during a pivotal time in history, she is nevertheless more concerned about her own fate than the significance of establishing the colony. She worries about her relationship with her stepmother, her own physical development, and the possibilities of finding a husband. Until another ship of settlers, the Fortune, comes to Plymouth in 1621, the hope for marriage seems slim. When Stephen Dane, a miller on the Fortune, temporarily moves in with the Hopkins family, however, Constance begins to enjoy the attentions of a fun-loving beau.
She also begins to recognize the ties that bind her to this once-strange land: her family’s obvious dedication to the colony, the sense of community she has developed with the other inhabitants of Plymouth, her friendship with Minnetuxet, and the justifiable pride she feels in helping to establish a thriving settlement. London is no longer home; Plymouth now claims that honor. Constance’s feelings towards Stephen waver when yet another newcomer, Nicholas Snow, arrives in Plymouth; Snow’s patient courtship finally wins her heart, and the two marry at the conclusion of the book.
Context
That Patricia Clapp chose to write about Constance Hopkins is no accident; Constance is an ancestor whom Clapp discovered when typing a genealogical record. The diary format dictates that all events must appear as the young narrator would view them, and Clapp retains this perception throughout her story. When Governor William Bradford allows each family individually to farm small plots of land rather than donate all crops to common stores, Clapp refrains from having Constance give the reader a lesson in economics. Instead, Constance notes how the decree affects her own life: how tired her father and his indentured servants are from tilling the land, how the community stands for hours praying for rain during a drought, and how caring for their small acreage puts extra duties on each family member.
Similarly, other events are recorded as an adolescent would see them. The drafting of the Mayflower compact is in Constance’s eyes simply one more delay to an uncomfortable voyage, and the first Thanksgiving is a respite from intolerable chores and a chance to flirt with available bachelors. Except for Minnetuxet, all characters in the story are real people, but, again, their historical contributions do not burden Constance’s perceptions. Priscilla and John Alden are friends, and their wedding present of one of John’s fine cabinets is much more memorable than their courtship; Governor Bradford’s blue dress suit impresses Constance more than his leadership qualities; and Miles Standish’s headstrong wife is admired more than the captain himself.
Yet, the story is not a frivolous account. History and setting emerge as powerful forces within the narrative constraints imposed on the novel. Although the story reflects universal concerns of family and friendship, Constance is clearly a product of the seventeenth century. It is through her experiences, rather than from her facts, that readers can realize a sense of the times.