Lily Owens Quotes With Page Numbers

Lily keeps this secret with her for most of the story, making her agitated and nervous for the rest of the novel. This is until she tells the sisters the real reason she was there, relieving her of her stress. Not only does the theme relate to Lily, it also relates to one of the Boatwright sisters, May. In the story, it is revealed to the reader that one of Lily’s new friends, Zach, has been put into jail. This news was never told to May, but when it did reach her, it left her broken.

Elie- an eager learner; seeks out the wisdom of Moishe the Beadle; very spiritual; oblivious to the cruelty going on in concentration camps; is quickly faced with the reality of the German Army; does anything to stay with his father; psychologically strong and quick thinker; he loses his faith in God; focused on surviving; tries his best to save his father. When he and his father arrive at the first concentration camp, Elie is willing to do anything to stay with his father: “I first wanted to see where they would send my father. Were he to have gone to the right, I would have run after him” (32). Luckily, his father moves to the left.

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them”, says Maya Angelou, an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. This quote reflects to Sarah’s journey in the novel Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay, since the main character, Sarah, faces events that affect her well being, as they make her both weaker and stronger. These events causes her to lose her innocence, makes her persistent, and then eventually drives her to be pessimistic. Sarah experiences traumatic events through her journey, which leads her to change both in a positive and negative way.

Lily’s housekeeper Rosaline was a big part in Lily’s growth throughout the her adolescent years. When T. Ray found Lily outside in the garden with her shirt unbuttoned he made her kneel in a pile of Martha White Grits, when she did this her knees got incredibly welted and bruised. Once Rosaleen had seen what he had done she immediately brought it to Lily’s attention how bad she was being treated by T. Ray, “‘Look at you, child. Look what he’s done to you,’” she said (Kidd 25). If not for Rosaline, she probably would have never even been capable of leaving her home at the peach farm in the first place and in turn she probably would have never found the Boatwright sisters in Tiburon, South Carolina (37). If this would not have happened Lily would have been stuck in her miserable life with T. Ray, forever having to kneel in the sharp Martha White Grits, having constantly wilted knees, and being neglected from the love all people need and deserve to feel throughout their

Lily longed for love and attention, something her father and caregiver, Rosaleen couldn't seem to give her. The reality was that Lily lived in a time that segregation was intact and John Fitzgerald Kennedy was trying to launch rockets to the moon. The author used symbolism, for example space, to show the lost nature of Lily’s character. “Fourteen and my life went spinning off into a whole new orbit” (1). Lost in thought, Lily always was thinking about what would happen if her mother was around. She was forced to follow her father's orders or she would be hit or shoved. This made her want to create as much distance between her and her father as possible. On the back of her mother's picture it said Tiburon, South Carolina. Maybe in Tiburon she could have a better life and bring her closer to her mother? Lily and Rosaleen hatched a plan to escape. As they left town they were confronted by a group of white men. Rosaleen spat on their shoes in protest of her rights. Then she was beaten up and sent to jail. T. Ray (Lily’s father) was furious! At this pivotal moment Lily knew she must leave. Confidence grew throughout Lily, she got Rosaleen out of the hospital and left to Tiburon. Before she left she gave T. Ray a note saying, “Dear T. Ray don’t bother looking for me. Lily P.S. People who tell lies like you should rot in hell” (42). This is a major turning point in this book because Lily had never stood up to her father like that.

Lily comes to know three incredible women called the Boatwrights. Their names are August, June, and May. Lily became closest to August although she was close to May and June, also. Lily felt as though August had a comforting and consoling way about her. August once told Lily “Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love doing it, that will be enough.” (Kidd 111). Her motivational life advice helped to guide Lily. Furthermore, August had to be the one to tell Lily that they had lost May; May had killed herself. Lily did not take the news so well. Lily claimed she had started to “shiver…[she] could feel the teeth in [her] mout, crashing against each other.” (Kidd 193).

After Lily and August have a long talk about Deborah, Lily’s mother, Lily was very angry and upset. She could not believe her mother would abandon her. It made her feel unwanted and unloved. For a while she would sulk in the honey house and refuse to eat. After all the “Mary Day” celebrations

Lily depicts how life at the pink house proceeded from that point. August helped Rosaleen get some new garments, and May took care of Rosaleen's injuries.

Ray and as a new home for her and Rosaleen. Throughout the first three chapters Lily illustrates what it is like to live with T. Ray, once mentioning how she would, “… take four or five centuries to tell her [mother] about the special misery of living with T. Ray” (3) should she meet her mother in heaven. Lily’s life with T. Ray is filled with physical and emotional pain, she has no friends and Lily feels that Rosaleen is the only person who loves her. When the opportunity to run away presents itself to Lily, she takes it and knows that she wants to go to Tiburon because of family ties. Once Lily and Rosaleen arrive at the Boatwright sisters’ house, they are quickly accepted. Lily knows that her mother must have ties to the pink house because of the resemblance between her mother’s picture of the Virgin Mary and Our Lady of Chains found in May, June and August’s

In contrast to her life with her father Lily received impeccable love from the Boatwright sisters. The

As time passes, Lily became curious about her mother’s life, so she decided to go on a journey to

Lily shot her mother when she was just four years old, but when she had accidentally shot her mother when all she wanted to do was help her. Without the mother Lily should have grown up with she was left with a father who didn’t show her the compassion and love every young girl should receive from their father. She had to make her own clothes, she wasn’t allowed to read, and she didn’t have the chance to celebrate her birthday. When Lily wanted this bracelet that every girl had, she went to ask T.Ray if he would get her one for her birthday, but instead of saying, of course anything for your birthday he ignored her and didn’t even acknowledge her birthday was coming up. Lily missed out on a lot of opportunities because she didn’t have much of a motherly figure in her life. When Lily wanted to join the Women's Club she wasn’t able to because she didn’t have a grandmother, mother, or even an aunt to present her with a white rose at the final ceremony. “The truth is, your sorry mother ran off and left you. The day she died, dhe’d come back to get her things, that’s all. You can hate me all you want, but she’s the one who left you.” (39). T.Ray was hurt and unintentionally wanted to hurt Lily as bad as he was hurt. Lily, hurt and confused left to find answers to the questions but along the way she finds more than the answers, she finds the family she’s always wanted even if she didn’t

Since Lily was so young, she didn’t have to spend all of her time performing chores and hiding away on the second floor, so that sense of complete separation between man and woman wasn’t fully engraved in her. She was allowed to play outside, and sit on her father’s lap at night, but she still had a duty to view herself as less than her male counterparts. The complete separation was approaching in her next few years with her foot binding.

Lily finds out that the women who took her in knew her mother and looked after her when she was younger. They were with her in

Considering all concepts relating to the rejection of negativity, Lily develops a greater understanding of the realities and truths life has to offer, especially the finding of peace and happiness. To begin with, when Lily lived in an environment where individuals would be classified as inferior or superior, and nothing but insecurity and meanness were inspired, she had difficulties finding happiness and stability. However, once she departs and arrives at the Boatwright house, she begins to discover the truths of life and how to approach all obstacles she may face. As seen by one of the truths told to Lily, “After you get stung, you can’t get unstung no matter how much you whine about it,” (Kidd 167), Lily was beginning to truly comprehend