The Beekeeper's Apprentice

Sue Monk Kidd has carefully crafted a book rich in symbolism with special emphasis on bees. Each section’s heading features the inner workings of this communal society (Emanuel, Catherine, B. 3). An epigraph at the beginning relating to bees sets the tone for the each chapter. The first chapter epigraph states: The Queen, for her part, is the unifying force of the community; if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. After a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakable signs of queenlessness.” Man and Insects.

A beekeeper is a person who keeps and raises honey bees to harvest the honey for product to sell. Traditionally, beekeepers tend to be men for the consequences that come with the practice such as consist stings and the messy job of collecting and purifying the honey. But, in the novel, August is portrayed as the best beekeeper around. “Nobody around here had ever seen a lady beekeeper till her. She liked to tell everybody that women made the best beekeepers, 'cause they have a special ability built into them to love creatures that sting. It comes from years of loving children and husbands” (80). She takes on the career of a man and becomes distinguished from the rest because of her excellence in her career. The Boatwright’s believed that “women made the best beekeepers 'cause they have a special ability built into them to love creatures that sting” (143). August not only practices the art of beekeeping, she also is the head preacher, a minister of sorts, in the Daughters of Mary church that she started. An organization that helps each other, has fun together, worship together, and stand powerful to any force that tries to deter their beliefs. They bring a sense of empowerment to Lily as she grows older. Lily, on the other hand, is taught to be the victim by her father. She has no real role models to encourage her. Her teacher tries to

In the novel The Secret life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, the main character Lily uses the symbolism of bees to convey her transition from a prejudiced mindset against African Americans to one of acceptance. This novel shows the different attitudes of people towards African Americans in 1964. Lily goes through the journey of discovering new perspectives and finding that African Americans are not what people portray them to be.

The basis of detective fictions is a well-developed and observant character that is able to walk the audience and outside perspectives through the case. In this case, Arthur Conan-Doyle utilizes the observant perspective of Watson to describe the actions of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle characterizes Sherlock through underscoring vocabulary and the first person understanding of Watson. A series of analytical language and descriptive literary devices such as juxtaposition to portray the effects of Irene Adler on the near-perfect character of Sherlock Holmes.

In Sue Monk Kidd’s novel The Secret Life of Bees there is a psychological allegory present, which is proven by the characters in the story. The psychological allegory is based on the theory by Sigmund Freud, this theory states that in the human brain there is three major psychological portions, the id, the ego, and the super ego. The id is the portion that induces selfishness and hatred and other “bad” actions, the super ego is the opposite of the id, putting others before ones self and caring for others, the ego is the perfect balance between the two and is almost always the psyche portrayed be the protagonist. In this novel it is T. Ray who illustrates the id, through his bad treatment of Lily, his lack of

“What is bound will be unbound. What is cast down will be lifted up. This is the promise of Our Lady” (228). Mary, known in the book as Our Lady of Chains, is an important aspect of Lily Owen’s epic quest. Though her journey is not that of legend, her quest is epic in its own right. Through her own sense of spirituality, Lily is able to overcome all obstacles in her way. Lily Owen’s journey in The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid functions as a literary quest as she struggles to overcome her abusive father, her own guilt, and her anger towards her mother on her journey self-discovery.

Sue Monk Kidd does a beautiful job with her bee analogies and quote connections throughout The Secret Life of Bees. As Lily grows and matures her knowledge of bees continues to do the same, and reflects who she is and what she’s doing at different points in the story.

As the years pass many things get old and lose worth, like books, but what can never get old or lose value is the message each book holds with it forever. In the very beginning of the book, “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd, the understanding of the message delivered is that Lily’s mother died while she was very young, and she does not know what happened. Even though this book takes place in the early sixties and moves forward to almost early seventies, but no matter what time period of the events taking place or the circumstances, the challenges Lily faces in Secret Life Of Bee’s are still relevant even today.

If I make the argument that The Beekeeper’s Apprentice is Laurie King commenting on the gender roles at the turn of the 20th century, then I can make sense of why Mary Russell appears to be a female Holmes. This argument can be supported through the historically accurate portrayal of what life was like at the beginning of the 20th century. It can also be supported through the examination of our modern Holmes, the young Mary Russell and their partnership. This novel gives us a modern and retired Holmes who now takes care of bees, and Mary Russell who is a young American woman that can match wits with him.

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 film The Spirit of the Beehive is about Ana a girl who lives with her parents and older sister in a manor house in an isolated Spanish village. The film told through Ana’s perspective and takes place in 1940, right after the civil war when Francisco Franco declares victory. Fernando Ana’s father spends most of his time tending his beehives meanwhile her mother Teresa spends her time daydreaming about an ex-lover and writing letters to him. Ana and her sister Isabel watch the movie Frankenstein, Ana is so fascinated by the story that it leaves her asking many questions. Ana is extremely gullible, that when Isabel shows her Frankenstein’s “home”, an abounded sheepfold Ana believes her. Overall, the film presents what it is like to live in Spain during the Franco regime, which was an emotional disintegration and isolation through the use of allegory, fantasy, and symbolism.

The Secret Life of Bees takes place in 1964 South Carolina, and is shown through the perspective of a fourteen year old girl named Lily owens. In the book you read about segregation, grief, guilt, self-doubt, abuse, love, and forgiveness. A conflict in The Secret Life of Bees is Lily overcoming the past, and forgiving her mother along with herself. Lily holds back a lot of unexpressed emotions growing up due to an accident in the past that she barely remembers.

In the book The Secret Life of Bees, author Sue Monk Kidd uses the literary devices of theme, theme development and symbolism to make the story complex and interesting. These devices thoroughly advance the story bringing more meaning and room for interpretation. The author describes several themes in the story, allowing the reader to learn from the experiences described by the story. The author also includes hints of symbolism throughout the book, creating depth and dimension by bringing meaning and importance to even the simplistic of things. Finally, the author embraces them development through furthermore elaborating on her strong theme

If I were to recommend one of the books that I read this summer to a friend, it would be The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. This book is not just about one girl’s journey about rising above her abusive father and standing up for herself, but it proves that family is not determined by blood. Although her father is the only family she has following her mother’s death, she can’t even bear the thought of calling him “daddy.” Her only friend is Rosalyn, the black maid, who takes on the role of her mother. Lily’s love for Rosalyn is what prompts her to start her journey to Ti born, South Carolina. Throughout her journey, she finds out who is really there for her when she needs it the most. I would like to believe that this is a life lesson that everyone will learn at some point in their life.

In the novel The Secret Life of Bees written by Sue Monk Kidd, many different themes are presented and all have a large impact on the book. Lily Owens, the main character, is determined to find a trace of her mother who she had accidentally shot as a child. Lily throughout the novel, however, discovers that a mother can be more than just a physical being. The theme of mothers in this book is conveyed through understanding, forgiveness, and love. The author uses this theme to reveal Lily’s character and her maturing beliefs.