Character Analysis
Constantin, a translator at the United Nations that Esther meets through Mrs. Willard, is set up as the opposite of pretty much every other man Esther meets in the novel. Instantly connecting over a shared dislike of Mrs. Willard, Esther decides Constantin has that mysterious something called "intuition" that she can't find in American men. But the relationship doesn't get beyond the first date. Unlike the other men in the novel, Constantin does not approach Esther sexually, nor does he make any disparaging comments about women.