Book Report Secret Life Of Bees

(TS) In Sue Monk Kidd’s novel The Secret Life of Bees, Lily Owens does not have an empathetic relationship with her parents as a result of the loss of her mother and an abusive father; however, Lily gains a new family figure, August Boatwright, who shows her the true empathy that is present between a parent and their child. (PS) Lily Owens’s absence of a mother and a “real” father causes Lily not to have a relationship with her parents that is filled with affection for one another. (SS) When Lily lost her mother, Deborah Fontell, she was told that she had shot and killed Deborah. (SS) Lily would say, “I would meet her saying, ‘Mother forgive. Please forgive,’” and she would kiss my skin till I grew chapped and tell me I was not to blame”

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a book discussing the internal strife of a young white girl, in a very racist 1960’s south. The main character, Lily Owens, faces many problems she must overcome, including her personal dilemma of killing her own mother in an accident. Sue Monk Kidd accurately displays the irrationality of racism in the South during mid- 1960's not only by using beautiful language, but very thoroughly developed plot and character development. Kidd shows the irrationality of racism through the characters in her book, The Secret Life of Bees and shows that even during that time period, some unique people, were able to see beyond the heavy curtain of racism that separated people from each

In addition to the Black Mary, Rosaleen showers Lily with love and support. Rosaleen treats Lily like she is her own daughter. Rosaleen accepts the way Lily is and has faith in her. "'Here you go. Happy Birthday" (28). Rosaleen cares about Lily and knows when something is important to her, like her Birthday. Lily never gets anything from T-Ray on her Birthday, but Rosaleen cares so much about her that she still gets Lily something. Rosaleen can tell when Lily is in pain or is sad like most mothers can. "'Well why don't we sit down on the side of the road awhile?'" (28). Rosaleen acknowledges the fact that Lily feels upset, and is comfortable expressing the need to rest and relax. Since Lily has known Rosaleen a long time she is comfortable expressing herself around Rosaleen and knows that Rosaleen will listen to her problems and insecurities. "'I was the only one who knew that despite her sharp ways, her heart was more tender than a flower skin and she loved me beyond reason'" (11). Rosaleen and Lily have a connection that most mothers and daughters have. They care

Haunted by the her own memories, Lily Owens finds comfort in the humming of the bees. In the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd writes about the life of young girl whose spontaneous decisions lead her to her mother’s past. Lily’s life has revolved around the lack of a mother. Her father, T. Ray, is a harsh and unloving peach farmer who punishes Lily unreasonably and does not fulfil his father like position. Lily’s adventure begins after catching a few bees in a jar. She empathizes with them as they are stuck and alone, something she understands all too well. On the day of her birthday, Lily and her negro nanny, Rosaleen, go out into town to register for voting. Rosaleen and Lily are on their way when a group of white men begin to harass Rosaleen and degrade her for being a negro. Rosaleen pours her spit jug on the shoes of the man and is given no mercy when she is beaten. With Rosaleen ending up in jail, Lily returns to the comfort of the bees once again. As she opens the jar and watches the bees escape, Lily follows suit and flees from home. She breaks Rosaleen out of the hospital and they hitchhike their way to Tiburon, South Carolina. Lily believes that her mother, Deborah, had once visited Tiburon and where she had obtained a picture of a Black Madonna. Lily has spent her whole life looking for new information and connections between herself and her mother. With luck and fate on her side, Lily finds the home of the Boatwright sisters, the creators of the Black

When Lily decides that she wanted to escape her troubling relationship with T. Ray learn about her mother in order to understand her own life, she flees with Rosaleen into a small tow called Tiburon in South Carolina. There, she discovers a world where her mother used to live for a short while in the past.

Lily feels alone in this world. She is ostracized at school, treated with an absence of love and lives day to day knowing that she has committed irreversible acts. When she thinks about her mother all of these complications melt away in the warm allure she feels.

The Secret Life of Bees delineates an inspirational story in which the community, friendship and faith guide the human spirit to overcome anything. The story follows Lily Owens, a 14 year old girl who desperately wants to discover the cause of her mothers death. Her father T. Ray gives her no answers, which leads their maid, Rosaleen, to act as her guardian. Together, Lily and Rosaleen run away to Tiburon, South Carolina and find a welcoming community. It is in Tiburon that Lily learns many life lessons, including many about herself. In her novel The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd explores a theme of spiritual growth through Lily's search for home as well as a maternal figure.

When Lily finally decides to run away from T.Ray to Tiburon with Rosaleen, the housemaid, in the movie this act is shown more as her wanting to get away from him and not so much as her being curious about what really is in Tiburon, South Carolina. Also, while at the Boatwrights house Lily did not act in a curious manner, but was mostly doing what she could to blend in so she was accepted, and not kicked out. When T.Ray tells Lily that her mother left her as a child, Lily refuses to believe so. She knows that it was just another punishment he uses to torment her, and only seeks to find the real truth at the very end of the movie. When he tries to take her away from the Boatwrights, she asks him before he leaves, “Did you lie about my mother leaving me.” The quality of Lily’s curiosity is lost in the movie. Lily’s life is represented more as a drama than her being curious and seeking answers about her mother, and the black Madonna. Because the movie lacks the value of curiosity it takes away from what the true story

It is hard to imagine a person who feels as though nobody loves them. A person who has no support system and constantly feels out of place. Lily strives to be accepted by someone, she feels unworthy of kindness and affection and does not understand the reason for her poor treatment. Throughout The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Lily’s various relationships throughout the novel ultimately strengthen and shape Lily as a person, helping her to move forward from her past struggles.

In literature, childhood is often played off as a time of innocence: one of mere self-discovery. Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, The Secret Life of Bees, contradicts this notion, particularly as the plot thickens. Kidd portrays her feelings that innocence is fleeting; there one minute and gone the next. Once a curious girl, the struggles of Lily Owens’ life age her long before her time. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily’s personal struggles shape the novel in its’ entirety.

The Secret Life of Bees written by Sue Monk Kidd, is set in South Carolina, 1964. This coming-of-age story follows the journey of Lily Owens who escaping her life under the authority of her abusive father to unravel the truth about her mother’s past. A few days before Lily and Rosaleen flee, Lily returns from her job selling peaches and walks in the house to find Rosaleen fixated on the television. President Johnson was on and “signed his name on a piece of paper, using about ten ink pens to get it done” (Kidd 20). Then they both heard the announcement, “Today, July second 1964, the president of the United States signed the Civil Rights Act into law…” and Lily turned to Rosaleen who looked “disbelieving and happy” (Kidd 20). On July 2 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed, banning segregation in public places based on race, gender, nationality, and religion. Prior to the Civil Rights Act, segregation was a prominent issue in the southern states, denying equal rights to people of color. In The Secret Life of Bees, the Civil Rights Act played an important role in the

(e) Towards the end of the book, the reader discovers the real reason for traveling to Tiburon. Not only did Lily travel to find more about her mother but she also needed to find herself and that is exactly what she accomplished. She learned about her mother and for the first time in her life had a motherly

The Secret Life of Bees: Thematic Analysis What is the definition of family? Family can be defined as those who are related to an individual, but on the other hand, it can also be described differently depending on certain situations. With horrible memories of her deceased mother, Deborah, and abusive father, known as T. Ray, 14-year-old Lily Owens escapes with her colored caregiver Rosaleen Daise to the little town of Tiburon, South Carolina in order to find her mother’s past. In Tiburon, Lily encounters the Boatwright sisters, also known as the Calendar sisters, who care for them and teach Lily about beekeeping, honey, and their Black Mary.

The book takes the readers back to 1963 and tells an inspirational story about love. The Secret Life of Bees is an interesting novel because of its setting, characters, conflict, and plot.

When Lily´s mom died, she only had her father T-Ray, who was not a very good guardian. T-Ray would let his anger out on Lily and sometimes he would hurt her, one example would be, one night Lily was outside and accidentally fell asleep. In the morning T-Ray caught her, he thought she was out there with a boy so he made her kneel on grits for a long period of time. T-Ray does not really care about Lily, he always forgot when it was Lily's birthday, but Rosaleen always remembers and usually makes Lily a cake. One night there were bees coming out of Lily's walls in her bedroom and they flying around her room, she yelled for T-Ray to come in and see, he came in they are all gone. He says ¨If you get stung, don't come whining to me, cause I ain't