Dialectical Journal For Lily

(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”

In the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, the main character, Lily Owens struggles with the notion that she killed her mother and has to live with her abusive, neglectful father, T-Ray. Throughout, Lily searches for information about her mother and why she left her. Unexpectedly, she stumbles upon new mother figures that play an important role in changing Lily to the person she is in later. The typical sequence of a hero’s journey includes a departure, initiation and trials, and reintegration into society. By the end, Lily Owens developes into a more mature, independent young women after experiencing a difficult childhood.

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

T. Ray had not stopped at tearing her down physically, for he had the strong desire to hack away at what is left of her mental state. By painting such a scarring image of Deborah next to the one Lily made with optimism and fondness, T. Ray’s mirage overshadowed Lily’s impression. This causes her to leave him and start a new chapter in her life. T. Ray’s bestial actions were crucial reasons that influenced Lily’s decision to leave her father and begin her pathway through the perplexing road of her mother’s life.

When Lily and Rosaleen join August Boatwright’s house, August is warm and welcoming, and Lily can breathe a

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd introduces Lily Owens as a very kind and caring person. The book takes place in the 1950’s when there was a lot of discrimination, and Lily believed everyone should be equal. When Lily runs away from her abusive father, it represents her bravery and shows that Lily stands up when there is a problem and doesn't let it just happen. Lily leaves with Rosaleen because Rosaleen was in trouble. This shows that Lily would also do anything for the people she cares about. Lily has a few qualities that are similar to mine. One is that when she believes in something she stands up for it and doesn't just sit back and watch it happen. This is something i strongly believe. If there is something you can do to help someone why not do it?

“But I had such a moment in my own ordinary room. I heard a voice say Lily Melissa Owens your jar is open” (Kidd 41). The bees acted almost as a guide to Lily, when the bees left Lily knew that it was her time to go as well. The bees, messengers from God were signaling Lily that she needed to remove herself from her current situation. “I knew exactly what I had to do -- leave. I had to get away from T. Ray” (Kidd 41). The bees were the reason that this realization occurred to Lily. The bees were telling Lily that God wanted her to leave, it was God’s plan for Lily to live with the calendar sisters so she could learn about her mother. Which is what she needed the most. The bees put Lily on the right track by leading her to her

T.Ray was always mean to Lily and the only person Lily could run and cry to was Rosaleen her nanny, All Lily wanted was for her father to love her and act like a father to her. Lily didn’t ask for all of his abuse and punishments. The reason T.Ray was always mean and punishing her because she accidently killed her own mother and T.Ray was madly in love with Deborah and married her before Deborah found out she was having a baby. He became really bitter because he lost his wife.

Luckily for Lily, she comes upon the Boatwright sisters once she reaches Tiburon. Because of the fact Lily does not have anyone to share her love with, she is compelled to stay and live with the Boatwrights. At one point in the novel, Lily and August are having a conversation when August asks Lily “What else do you love Lily?”(Kidd 39). Lily then thinks to herself, “No one had ever asked me that before. What did I love? Right off the bat I wanted to say that I loved the picture of my mother…but I had to swallow that back”(39). Lily does not feel comfortable enough yet that she says, “ I love writing poems, just give me something to write, and I’ll love it” despite the fact that Lily really loves August (39). She loves August so much that she would rather stay in Tiburon with the Boatwrights than be with her own father T. Ray. The loss of Deborah results in Lily going to obtain love somewhere other than her own home. This is also why Lily takes Rosaleen with her. Rosaleen is a black nanny who used to work on T. Ray’s farm. She has been there for Lily in the past but she cannot always be there one hundred percent because of her race. Due to Deborah’s death, Lily does not have a mother figure, however, he journey to Tiburon with Rosaleen proves to be a success as she finds the Boatwrights and strengthens her relationship with her nanny, Rosaleen.

Not only is August caring and a good mentor, but she is also very accepting of Lily for who she is. Since the beginning of the book, August has always been an inviting and accepting character. August meet Lily when she showed up at her house, instead of turning her away August allow Lily to stay with them. “Well, you can stay here till you figure out what to do. We can’t have you living on the side of the road.”( Kidd ) August was just told that Lily and Rosaleen had run away from home. August welcomes them into her home and allows them to stay with her. As the book goes on many lies about Lily’s past are told. August knows that Lily is lying but never presses. When it finally comes time for the truth to be told, August never yelled, she just listened. When Lily is telling August about all of the lies she

The fog was like tracing paper over her eyes. From what she could see above, the blue sky was turning navy. Lily was standing at a bus stop wishing she was wearing gloves and a hat. She pulled her coat ever tighter around herself. Her lips were numb, her jaw fighting to chatter. The bus was late and she was meant to be meeting her friend Daisy on it. Daisy, when approached with the idea of travelling via public transport to the unpronounceable French café she desperately wanted to go to, seemed disgusted at the very notion. Lily reminded her that not everyone could rely on their Daddy buying them a new car as soon as they turned seventeen and that it certainly wasn't her fault if it was made unavailable due to an MOT. Daisy blushed prettily.

This concept leads Lily to believe that the Virgin Mary is in many ways her mother, even though she is a mother to thousands of other people as well (Emanuel 41). Lily receives support and love from August and the community like the bees, though it is a secret to the rest of the world. The bees act as pathfinders for Lily as she learns more about herself, along with Zach

Instead of relying on another power that is above her, she takes her fate into her own hands and tries to save her own home. This self reliance develops early, and can also be seen much later in her life. When she is twenty-seven, Lily learns that her husband has a secret second family. She leaves him immediately and manages to annul the marriage. Although he had taken all of her money from their joint bank account, she does not go back to her parents in Arizona or try to find another husband to take care of her. Instead, she begins preparing for her future alone. “Since I obviously couldn't count on a man to take care of me, what I needed more than ever was a profession. I needed to get my college education and become a teacher . . . the time flew by, and when both the dispensation and the acceptance letter arrived, I had enough money for a year of college” (p. 90). Instead of wondering what to do and moping about her ex-husband, Lily is practical and knows what she wants to do next. She also mentions that she cannot depend on a husband to take care of her. If she did not have to fend for

The bees in the story represent guides, they give comfort and they also represent Lily’s life in a sense. The bees represent guides or signs matter fact, because she followed the honey label to Tiburon and there she found out the truth about her mother. While in Tiburon she helps August with the bees. The bees represent exploration and personal growth because if she never found that label she would have never forgiven anyone or found out the truth. The bees showed her the right way and pushed her, all while being by her side and accompanying her. Also, most of the main actions in this novel involve the bees. For example, when she licks the honey off of Zach’s finger she found out that she loves him. In addition, the bees give Lily comfort

People make decisions throughout their lives; some of which are instituted by themselves, but most of which are influenced by others. In The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Lily Melissa Owens was actuated by a variety of characters to make both ambiguous and venerable judgments throughout the novel. Some of the persuaders were T. Ray, May, June, August, Zach, the Daughters of Mary, and even her mother, Deborah Owens. Saying that, they all affected her thought process in procuring her goal of unraveling the mystery of her mother. Nevertheless, even with all of these characters making an impact on Lily’s journey, only three of them changed the course of her life in a way that was not tantamount to any other character. Those three were T. Ray, Deborah, and August and they were who drastically altered Lily’s imminent experiences. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily Owens’ decisions are created through the words and actions of three prominent characters in the novel through insults, actions, and the infallible truth