The Secret Life of Bees Essay

In The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd alludes to the Cold War to demonstrate the tension of the Civil Rights Era. For instance, “‘What happened?’ I asked. “Did they drop the atom bomb?’ Ever since we’d started bomb drills at school, I couldn't help but thinking my days were numbered” (19). Lily uttered this statement because the news broadcast on the television agitated Rosaleen. Alternatively, what Lily thought was the start of another war, was actually the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As for the Cold War, this was a time of great tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from around 1947 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In fact, most Americans worried that the Soviet Union would drop

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

Fourteen year old Lily Owens lives with her cruel father who has piled her with the guilt and responsibility of her mothers' death when she was a young child. After her stand in mother Rosaleen arrested and sent to the hospital for insulting three of the towns biggest racists, they flee to Tiburon, South Caroline in search of information about

He was furious when he saw her. T- Ray pushed her around and screamed at her. He could not wait to get home so that he could punish her even more. August stepped in and asked if she could now take care of and be responsible for Lily. She knew that she could not let Lily go back to that horrible household. Lily was just starting to understand what life is really about, starting to mature and become a lady, and not have to worry about all the abuse from T- Ray. Her father gave his only daughter up in a mere second. He was done with her and could not wait to get Lily, his burden, out of his life. Before T- Ray left, Lily had to know what had truly happened to her mother even if it were their last words. These words would be what would help Lily to move on. She will never forget about her mother, but she will be able to think of things other than the killing of her mother. T- Ray knew that this time he had to tell her the truth, “It was you who did it, Lily. You didn’t mean it, but it was you.” (Kidd 299). Even though he just gave his daughter away, he has to care about her. T- Ray may have given up Lily, but he may have done it because he knew that she would have a better life being raised by people who can love and care for her. Knowing that she was the one to kill her mother was extremely hard, but this has helped her to let go of that hatred and show her how much she really does care about her mother no matter

Lily has always been beaten down and abused by her father, but witnessing Rosaleen's courage gives Lily courage, too. Her father physically beats her and punishes her atrociously, and Lily has no choice but to take it. But after she witnesses Rosaleen's nerve in the face of beating and imprisonment, Lily finds her spark of independence and ingeniousness. She learns to lie convincingly and plans their escape to Tilburon. Defying her father and leaving home is something she'd never considered.

She also begins to understand emotion better, and think about it. “‘What…. do you love, Lily?’ No one had ever asked me this before. What did I love?” (Kidd 139). Under T. Ray’s care, Lily was still developing her sense of self and beginning to feel deeper, but T. Ray didn’t really allow her to feel or be who she was. When Lily is finally freed from T. Ray’s stifling attitude, she has the freedom to explore being a teenaged girl, and to figure out who she it with Rosaleen, August, May, June and Zach. In the story, Lily is finding out who she is, and how she feels. This new awareness of emotion is imperative to that search. Lily is becoming more aware of her emotions in this

Throughout the story Lily has a void in her life which she so desperately needs filled and that void is her longing for maternal love and answers about her mother who died when Lily was only a young child. It is clear that Lily is unhappy in Sylvan where she lives with her abusive and unloving father T. Ray and after seeing

The novel is written in Lily’s point of view to show Lily’s growth and maturation. Lily blames herself for her mother’s actions and it is not until the end of the story that she accepts the fact that she has no control over the death of her mother. After T. Ray finds Lily, he decides to leave her with August and the Daughters of Mary because she is better off. As T. Ray leaves, she looks back and says, “And there they were. All these mothers. I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street” (302). When Lily is looking back at August and the Daughters of Mary, she realizes that they all have a role as her mother. Up until this point in the novel, Lily constantly feels the guilt of killing her mother on her conscience. The novel is written in Lily’s point of view to show her growth. In the beginning of the novel Lily feels lost, guilty, and abandoned. By the end of the novel, Lily feels like she has found her home with August and the Daughters of Mary. They accept her for who she is and love her unconditionally. Lily’s maturation is displayed when she comes to the realization that after living in the racist South, she too has grown up with a little racism in her heart. She realizes this when August surprises her with all the knowledge she has about life and

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

When T-Ray, Lily’s abusive father, shows up to take Lily away, it is the Daughters of Mary who rush in to protect Lily. Lily finally has all the love, strength, and support she needs to take a stand against her final fear. “My heart pounded. I watched him. He looked once at me, then let his hand drop to his

The Civil Right Act occurred in 1960 which allowed African-Americans more rights. In the novel The Secret Life of Bees many characters challenges and uncover the meaning of accepting taboo ideas. Set in 1964, Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees suggests that accepting taboo actions does not necessarily compromises a person’s moral compass and can lead to an awareness and understanding of the world.

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.

After a conversation with T-Ray, it becomes apparent to her, that even when being at home, she would still be a prisoner. It is then, that Lily decides to break Rosaleen out of jail, and hit the road. Through little information, Lily and Rosaleen find Lily’s mother's old friends, the Boatwright sisters. Basically telling the sisters that they need a place to stay, Rosaleen is put to work in the kitchen, and Lily, works as the apprentice of a beekeeper. Life continues with good grace until things start to fall apart. During the climax, or the turning point of the story, the Boatwright sisters other apprentice, Zach is sent to jail for committing a crime he didn’t enact. The most empathetic sister, May, commits suicide by drowning herself. Nothing seems right at this point. It is also during this time, that Lily starts to ask questions about her mother, and finds out that she abandoned Lily as a toddler, and left her with T-Ray. This information puts Lily into a downward spiral for a couple days until she finally comes to terms with it, and forgives her mother and herself. In the resolution of our story, Lily seems to have finally found a loving home, with proper maternal

I’m not sure how Kim choose The Secret Life of Bees for her students. I’ve never read the book, but I’ve seen the movie. The book/movie definitely addresses the topics on the role of women, along with the issues of racism and faith. The book is set in 1964 in South Carolina at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Jim Crow Laws existed and ‘separate but equal’ plus the struggle for equal voting rights. These can and are sensitive and hard topics to address, but worthy.