The Queen Bees: A Narrative Fiction

Every family has parents and maybe some siblings too, it is what makes the family a family. Some kids are adopted and some are not and some like Lily Owens in The Secret Life of Bees got to choose her family. In the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, the theme that appears a lot is how much family means, even if it is chosen.

Chism (2016) describes a mentor as a “trusted counselor or guide” (McKinley, 2014; Mentor, 2004; Chism, 2016, p. 94). “In the profession realm, mentoring involves helping others achieve goals and offering support in a nonthreatening way” (Chism, p.94). In contrast to mentoring, Derks, VanLaar, & Ellemers (2016) discuss the queen bee phenomenon as a descriptive label “given to women who pursue individual success in male-dominated work settings”( Derks, Van Laar, & Ellemers, p.2). It is the purpose of this post to discuss the queen bee phenomenon, theories about why it exists, how it effects organizations and individuals in male dominated organizations, junior women in the workplace and potential interventions to diminish the phenomenon in the workplace. In summary, I will give an example where professional women engaged in behaviors described in the queen bee phenomenon.

One day, Lily and her younger sister Milly went to the carnival and on the way they passed by the zoo. This reminded Lily about how much Milly loved penguins.

“My 2nd to last day, the reason I do not work there anymore. This girl who was suspended somehow got into the school (with two other girls) and their intent was to beat a girl up to death. It was a three vs. three fight, with me and one other male security guard in that hallway.”

The worst thing about being lied to is knowing the you weren't worth the truth. In the novel the Secret life of Bees the author Sue Monk Kidd talks about Lily Owens a fourteen year old white girl lives on a peach farm with his abusive father T-Ray and his housekeeper Rosaleen . She believes she shot and kill her mom Deborah when she was four years old . In this novel the theme of lies /deceit is developed through certain characters and their motives for deception.

"First of all your on speakerphone, second of all its you and Jeremiah. The cute couple who were prom queen and prom king."

Lily’s rebellion against her father illuminates the importance of the road of dependence to independence. As a bildungsroman, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, heavily focuses on the independence of an abused girl growing up in a time of feminine oppression and racial discrimination. For example, although Lily possesses a great ambition for literature, her father portrays contempt for it and thinks of college as “a waste of money for girls, even if they did, score the highest number a human being can get on their verbal aptitude test”(Kidd 15). Lily grudgingly respects her wish of her father to not read or bring up a conversation concerning education and tolerates an ill-bearing father. However, after Rosaleen and Lily become arrested,

In life, relatively anything can happen for a reason. Whether it occurs upon our own actions or not, instances may arise for a new change. Within the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, our main protagonist, Lily, is tested by making a life-changing decision to either return to her father, T. Ray’s captivity, or stay with the Boatwright sisters, whom she befriended on her runaway adventure. Even through tough times Lily has endured with T. Ray, when it was time for her to decide who should receive custody of her, she was still hesitant, despite knowing what her circumstances may be if she were to choose T. Ray. Even though T. Ray is Lily’s biological father, unfortunately, is not up to par to provide her with the necessities that this fourteen year-old girl needs. I strongly believe that Lily should live with the Boatwright sisters, due to many factors they can provide that makes Lily a better person.

It is very important that the correct historical accuracy is utilized when writing. I think this because if the piece fails to be accurate, then people may get the wrong idea of the meaning trying to be portrayed in the writing. If the written information is false, then the truth may seem as if it is being covered up. This may make it feel like the author is trying to hide the truth or is fleeing the truth of the real history.

The Literary Quest in The Secret Life of Bees “She is a muscle of love, this Mary. I feel her in unexpected moments, her Assumption into heaven happening in places inside me… August says she goes into the holes life has gouged out of us” (374). In this quote, Lily Owens is expressing how the black Mary has helped her overcome many struggles in her life. Lily is a 14 year old girl who is from Sylvan, South Carolina.

In the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Lily Owens discovers the deeper meaning of home, family, love, and choosing what matters, through a long journey of lies and hope. After experiencing cruelties, prejudice, and escaping from the authorities, Lily set out on an adventure to find out the truth of what happened to her mother.

“Creating unique characters is something every fiction author has to focus on because it can make the difference in writing a book that resonates with the audience…” (“5 Tips for”). In this case, in Kidd’s novel, The Secret Life of Bees, the author implements literary devices, such as, indirect characterization, symbolism, and allusions, in her writing. Moreover, the literary devices applied generate reader’s feelings toward the characters.

Queen Bees & Wannabes is an excellent self-help source for the parent, grandparent, teacher, therapist or anyone else having a part in helping to guide girls anywhere from preteen to early adulthood. Ms. Wiseman very accurately describes labels, roles, parenting types and conversations and shares this information in a sometimes comical, but to me, always interesting manner.

"I heard, all three of them have been messing around for months. I get Veronica and Duncan fighting over Logan, but Duncan and Logan fighting over Veronica? I mean, come on." Madison didn't bother whispering or even concealing her snicker just because Veronica was well within earshot. "Plus, think of the Lilly Kane ick factor, no wonder she was sleeping with that psycho Aaron Echolls if her boyfriend and her best friend and her brother were all wrapped up in some gross love triangle, and who knows how long ago it started?"

“I can’t really blame her, I am not the best talking to girls and I wasn’t…well…this,” Steve motioned to his whole body, “when we went on the date.”