The Secret Life Of Bees Essay

Character Analysis: The Secret Life Of Bees
I personally don't relate to The Secret Life of Bees it was a story that didn't have characters with
whom I could connect.
Forgiveness is the major theme in the book. The main character Lily had to forgive herself for the
accidental death of her mother. Lilly's father T.Ray kept her isolated from others and blamed Lily
for her mother's death. Eventually Lilly feels forced for run away. Lilly needed a community help
her heal. She found it in the three Boatwright sisters May, August, and June. These three black
women opened up her eyes to what it is like to have family and caring people around you. Each sister
influenced Lily's growth.
August was the wise old women who c looked after Lily's mother before she was a bee keeper. A
caring woman
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The Secret Life Of Bees Summary
The secret life of Bees, is about a fourteen year old girl named Lily who is White. She lives with
her father T. Ray who is a peach farmer in Sylvan, South Carolina.In the first chapter Lily is
waiting for the bees that live in the walls of her bedroom, as they do every night. T. Ray does not
believe her story about the bees, so she decides to collect the bees in a jar to prove him wrong.
Rosaleen her nanny and housekeeper is the one who looks after Lily. Lily remembers her last
memory of her mother Deborah, who died when Lily was a small child. T. Ray told Lily she
accidentally shot her mother while T. Ray and Deborah were fighting one day. Lily decides to tag
along with Rosaleen to the town, where Rosaleen is planning to go vote. Instead, a group of...show
more content...
Ray picks up Lily at the prison and tells her that the men who bothered her will most likely kill
her. Lily gets frighten by this since Rosaleen is the only person in her life who truly loves Lily. At
home T. Ray tells Lily that on the day her mom died, Deborah had come back to pick up just her
clothes planning to leave Lily behind. Lily notices that the bees have escaped from the jar she put
them in, which Lily takes advantage and plans to run away. The theme for this book is racism by not
only illustrating black and white characters with self– respect and society but by also showing how
Lily struggles with overcoming her own racism. Lily is not a racist in the same way that the group
of men that harassed Rosaleen are racist, but she does witness some prejudice and stereotypes at the
beginning of the book. She infers that all African– Americans are like Rosaleen, an uneducated
working housekeeper. When Lily encounters unique, educated, thoughtful August Boatwright, she
must change her expectations and fight her mindset. At first, Lily feels shocked that a black person
could be as smart, sensitive, and creative as August. Admitting and combating her impact allows Lily
to realize the truth about the bias of

The Secret Life Of Bees Essay
The book by the name of The Secret Life of Bees written by Sue Monk Kidd is about a white girl
named Lily Owens who goes on a journey to find more about her dead mother who passed away
when she was young. She finds herself in the Boatwright's house (home of the honey makers) that is
strictly for African–American women because she believes that her mother spent much of her life
there. Lily finds herself dealing with frequent racial issues as the story takes place in Southern
Carolina during the Civil Rights Movement. By the end of this book, I can say that I enjoyed the
novel because of the themes the author includes. First off, it shows the progression in Lily's
ignorance in terms of being more educated. In the beginning of the book, she thinks...show more
content...
After a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakable signs of queenlessness" (Kidd 1). I did
not know the symbol of bees could relate to this story in the way that it did. Bees plays a
significant symbols because of the fact that the ruler of the hives is ruled by a single Queen Bee.
Similar to August as she is the Virgin Mary and the other members are called the Daughters of
Mary. Also, beehives are very protected in the manner of the not clearly knowing what is going
on inside. However, we know that there is a system and own ways to care for their homes. Just
like the boathouse, they have their rituals such as praying, collecting honey and celebrations. As
well as making sure that the system runs smoothly as everyone has a significant job and making
sure that one another is safe in the home. This reminds me of the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
More specifically when Pi is stranded on an island with a tiger, Pi is completely exposed to a new
environment and has to adapt to all changes. At first, he dislikes the tiger, but soon his interpretations
of him as he gets to know and bond with

Secret Life Of Bees Essay
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....show more content...
This summer, I worked at a summer camp for eight weeks and met some of the most amazing and
altruistic people. Although I was three years younger than them, they took me in and some of
them even "adopted" me as their younger sister. They looked out for me and taught me that
family is something that you can find anywhere, even miles away from home. They are the
people that you would drive four hours to see for one. Family are the people that you go to when
you have a bad day. They are the people that you know you can always rely on. Family are the
ones that treat you like family. Of course, you always have your real family that will love you
unconditionally no matter what, sometimes circumstances draw families apart. The way I see it
is, if someone wants to be a part of your family, they will be no matter what. They will find a way
to be in your life, because there is always room for family. This is why there is such a thing as
those family friends that show up to your house on thanksgiving with a smile on their face. It doesn't
matter if they are family or not because they are family in your

The Secret Life Of Bees Analysis
The sun shimmered brightly in the morning sky, sending rays of warmth on to the land below it.
Birds started to chirp and the bees started to buzz. The bees began their work in the golden,
honey–filled hive. Most of them flew out, wandering around looking for blooming flowers, to get
sweet nectar. Other bees nursed the young, took part in the building the impressive hive piece by
piece, or guarded their home. Everyday, the bees are making their colony stronger...but what does
this mean? Each bee has a significant role in the hive, and a bee does its job so every bee in the
hive survives. In other words, a beehive would not exist if the bees did not work together as a
whole. The way a community of bees works is not only fascinating, but also similar to the human
world. Sue Monk Kidd incorporates various concepts in The Secret Life of Bees, and uses bees to
develop the significance of those concepts. Kidd makes connections between bees and how they
represent...show more content...
In the book, we see that one challenge bees face is surviving on a hot day. The bees themselves
aren't capable of doing anything about the uncontrollable weather and we know this when the
author writes, "'When it gets over a hundred,' she said, 'the flowers dry up and there's no food for
the bees. They stay in the hives fanning themselves. Sometimes they just roast.'" Because it is
harder for bees to survive by themselves, another society helps them. August and Lily make sure
the bees in their area can survive by taking sugar water for the bees. This connects to our world
because smaller communities help each other when needed. For example, the United States
provides foreign aid to help other countries develop. As well as that, we have a myriad of
organizations like the Red Cross that support and provide help to other people when needed. While
the concept of societies helping each other seems simple, it would be difficult to maintain if nobody
was leading

The Secret Life of Bees
Kathy Holcomb
Prof. Robert Weber
English 112
April 14, 2009
The Secret Life of Bees Critical Essay 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.
The Queen bee is the novel's symbol of a mother figure and is used throughout Lily's...show more
content...
Bees live in social units comprised of a queen bee and her sterile daughters. These female bees
need male bees only rarely. This statement captures the strong female presence of the Boatwright
residence. The Boatwright sisters live together and do not require men to help them survive. The
sisters are very successful and have a nice house on a large plot of land. (The Best Notes, Chapter 4).
Suffice it to say, when Lily and Rosaleen follow their yellow brick road to the idiosyncratic
compound of three black women bee–keepers, May, June and August, they come upon a trio that
embodies every form of maternal nurturance and emotional education Lily needs, and a comfortable
nest for Rosaleen as well. In the Boatwright sisters, for whom the black Madonna is queen, Kidd
has created a wonderful fantasy, a sort of beloved community, part Oz, part ashram, part center for
racial reconciliation (Brown 1).
They live in a bright pink house, a very feminine color. The woman in the household have names
pertaining to seasons. "These names span a time frame of both sowing and reaping, spring to late
summer." (Emanual, Catherine B. 2). Appropriately, August (a mature season) champions and
befriends Lily providing the wisdom and security she so desperately needs. She gently guides Lily
but allows her to find her own way. Under Augusts' wing, Lily finally finds a place to nest. She

Not everyone in the world has a perfect family and may experience certain events in childhood that
can affect the way they see and how they display themselves. Motherless Lily lives unhappily with
her emotionally detached father, who claims that as a child, Lily accidently killed her mother. "It was
you who did it, Lily. You didn't mean it, but it was you" (299). After hearing this and helping break
her only friend and black caretaker, Rosaleen out of jail, the two runaway to a place where Lily
suspects her mother once spent time. While on this journey, Lily must find out the truth and come to
terms of who her mother really was, and to help understand her own life. While on their way to
uncovering more and more

Secret Life Of Bees Essay
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.
We are reminded in The Rationale for Differentiated Instruction in Mixed–Ability Classrooms, that
learners need to find meaning in what is trying to teach. They need to relate to the characters in the
novel. Kim needs to help her students identify these connections with the characters in the novel.
There needs to be buy in for her students, I would also suggest she be cautious, but the fact that the
class is culturally diverse she used be thankful and celebrate, embrace, support, and encourage open
expression. She needs to build a classroom community of trust and respect prior to this assignment.
It is actually one of the first things as a teacher we need to do to ensure a successful school year.
Students must feel safe and supported. Kim needs to be have a conversation prior to the reading and
let them know that some difficult topics and feelings are going to arise throughout the reading.
...show more content...
By allowing her students to study other literary texts it would provide the students a chance to
compare other novels to The Secret Life of Bees. In addition, giving them background knowledge.
The assignment could also be varied allowing students to write from the various points of view or to
compare the

The Secret Life Of Bees Themes Essay
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. Kidds foster the idea that racism is to be acknowledged. In the first
couple of chapters of the novel the reader sees Roseleen, an African–American nanny to Lily Owens
standing up to a group of white guys. "Rosaleen lifted her snuff which was filled with black spot,
and calmly poured it across the shoes of the men's shoes moving her hand...show more content...
Emanuel agrees in her paper "The archetypal mother: the Black Madonna in Sue Monk Kidd 's The
Secret Life of Bees" saying that "[Kidd] speaks at length about a woman's plight in both
conventional society,"(Catherine B. Emanuel). August understands this progress of injustice.
While talking to Lily about her life, August confesses that she did love a man. "I loved him
enough. I just loved my freedom more"(146). This shows that August had to decide whether she
wanted to have her freedom or to be married. Kidd writing about a black woman that choose a
career over the traditional lifestyle of a women reinforce the notice that anyone can improve and
innovate the world as much as white man. In the novel, August shows Lily that a woman can do
anything a man can do by breaking from conventional ideas that a women can live a successful life
without a man is normal. Laurie Grobman agreed in her essay in "Teaching Cross–Racial Texts:
Cultural Theft in 'The Secret Life of Bees" by saying that "August fits Levy's description of the
'model of female creativity, the repository of women 's history and the provider of mother enduring
care,"(21). August is a role model to encourage women to break the mold of what a woman is
supposed to be.
Kidd use the non–traditional religious practices to show the healing and understanding that come
from the practice. August has an informal Christian religious group called the Daughter of Mary.
The Daughter of Mary prays every Sunday

The Secret Life of Bees Essay
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...show more content...
Ray to let Rosaleen out of jail, and T. Ray refuses " What I ,mean is, I wouldn't be surprised if he
flat out killed her " (p30) T. Ray know Rosaleen might die but he still wont try to help her because
it would mean standing up to the people of his community. He is only thinking of himself, which
is a quality of the id. T. Ray also only thinks of himself when Lily leaves him, instead of
considering the fact that she might be happier without him. T. Ray has found Lily at the
Boatwright house and is insisting she come back "I spent half my summer looking for you, and
I'm taking you out of here" (290) T. Ray spent half his summer looking for Lily because he was
happier with her, instead of thinking of Lily and considering the fact that she might be happier with
out him. In this he was only thinking of himself and was demonstrating the id. Through all of these
excerpts it can de determined that the character of T. Ray demonstrates the id in the psychological
allegory, through his bad treatment of Lily, his lack of caring with Rosaleen, and the way he only
thinks of himself.
In this novel the character of May Boatwright portrays the super ego, by her unbiased caring, by her
innocence, and by her need for perfection. May cares for every one no matter what race or gender,
and created a wall to pray for the people of the world. May has just heard that Zach is in jail and is
upset "I'm going to the wall" (p187) May knows Zach is in trouble so she

Hannah Boyer Mr. O'Mara English IV; Period B 8/25/08 The Secret Life of Bees Bees, honey, the
Black Madonna, the 1960's, the power of women, what do all of these things have in common?
All of these things are what one would think of when reading the book, The Secret Life of Bees.
Those who have read The Secret Life of Bees know that it is not a book about different kinds of
bees and how bees live their lives, but it is a book about a poorly treated girl named Lily who
runs away from home. She runs away to Tiburon, South Carolina with her friend Rosaleen. While in
South Carolina, she makes friends with three black women who make honey, a black man named
Zach, who she comes to love, and a group of Catholics known as The...show more content...
They both become friends with August, June, and May Boatwright as well as the whole
Daughters of Mary group, Mr. Forrest, who is a lawyer, and his daughter named Becca; however,
it took Lily a little longer to become friends with June. Lily and Rosaleen also became friends
with Zach and in the end Lily and Zach ended up falling in love with each other. Lily, Rosaleen,
the calendar sisters, Zach, the Daughters of Mary, Mr. Forrest and his daughter, Becca all ended
up having a different view of whites and blacks in the end of the story. The theme dealing with a
loss is a theme that shows up a lot throughout the book. Lily is having to deal with the death of her
mother and not having anyone there to make her feel loved. Only in the end of the book, she
ends up with too many mothers to even count. She has August, June, the black Mary, Rosaleen,
and all of the woman in the Daughters of Mary group. August, June, and May also had to deal
with the death of May's twin sister April. The death of April is especially hard on May and
towards the end of the story May kills herself. The death of May is not only hard on August and
June but also on Lily, Rosaleen, Zach, and everyone in the Daughters of Mary. Each loss that they
had to deal with would bring each of them closer and closer to each other. For example, if Lily
wouldn't have missed her mother and left, she and Rosaleen would probably not have even met the
calendar sisters and everyone

The Secret Life Of Bees Message Essay
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.
Seeing things from an adult point of view showed and taught Lily how things worked in the real
world, no matter it being right or wrong. In the very beginning of the book Lily states "People
who think dying is the worst thing don't know a thing about life." (pg. 2) this being her looking
back into her own past from an older perspective and it efficiently disproves many people's
viewpoints about life. Dealing with a loss of a loved one and missing the said individual, can be
more harmful to the people around you more than death itself. It's a prolonged torture that can never
really be stopped, only something that you find out how to live with and deal with. The loss of her
mother seems to loom over her for her entire life, a feeling which she could not shake until she
found solace in the honey barn, which felt like more of a home to her...show more content...
In The Secret Life of Bees there are many new and old ideas that can and will always be applied in
one way or another. Facing hardships at a young age and using that experience to make smarter
choices and having better outcomes is a part of life, and this novel showed that. So of course, this
book will always be required to be read by people everywhere because the content it holds will
always keep the same effect throughout the

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Essay
Racism: Then and Now. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a book discussing the
internal strife of a young white girl, in a very racist 1960's south. The main character, Lily Owens,
faces many problems she must overcome, including her personal dilemma of killing her own mother
in an accident. Sue Monk Kidd accurately displays the irrationality of racism in the South during
mid– 1960's not only by using beautiful language, but very thoroughly developed plot and character
development. Kidd shows the irrationality of racism through the characters in her book, The Secret
Life of Bees and shows that even during that time period, some unique people, were able to see
beyond the heavy curtain of racism that separated people from each...show more content...
Lily shows her non–racist side in the very beginning of the book, after Rosaleen has been put in jail
for spitting on a very racist white man's shoe. She willingly sneaks into jail and attempts to free
Rosaleen, but gets sent home with the racist and mean father, T. Ray. She once again tries to free
Rosaleen, and this time sneaks into a hospital to free her. Lily is successful this time, and runs
away with Rosaleen. Many quotes from the Secret Life of Bees express the views of different
characters on racism. " She was black as could be, twisted like driftwood from being out in the
weather, her face a map of all the storms and journeys she'd been through. Her right arm was
raised as if she was pointing the way, except her fingers were closed in a fist. It gave her a serious
look, like she could straighten you out if necessary." In this quote, Lily describes the Black Virgin
Mary, the lord of the Sisters of Mary, and later learns the significance of this statue, which is to
look within yourself to find your true, hidden self. When Lily has her earlier conversations with
Zach, she has a slight edge of racism in her voice. When Zach tells Lily that he want to be a
lawyer, she says: "I've just never heard of a Negro lawyer, that's all. You've got to hear of these
things before you can imagine them." However, despite this fact, she supports Zach's

Analysis Of The Book ' The Secret Life Of Bees '
Liv Monroy
Ms.Lesnick
English 1 Accelerated
27 August 2014
Protecting the Heart Fifty six. That's how many lives were lost to suicide on a daily basis in the
United States during 1964. Imagine fifty six of your classmates, lying dead on the floor. Bullet
wound in this one's head, a rope tied around this one's neck, blood dripping out of a gash on this
one's wrist. Nobody expects suicide to affect them. But then, it does. In The Secret Life of Bees,
by Sue Monk Kidd, May Boatwright was one of those fifty six people. As a young girl, she lost
her twin sister to suicide, and her life was forever changed. Suddenly, May was overwhelmingly
sensitive. Everybody else's problems were now her very own. She couldn 't discern the difference
between them all, and her brain became a jumbled mess. Tears often plague her cheeks, and when
a young Lily Owens shows up at the Boatwright's doorstep along with her maid Rosaleen, those
tears seem to appear more often than ever. As Lily becomes aware of May's situation, she tries to
be as careful as possible, and is helped by May's two other sisters, August and June Boatwright.
They slowly help May adjust, and as they shelter her, May seems to be getting better. But the girls
are left shell shocked when they discover May's lifeless body in the river. Committing suicide was
the lowest point for May. May struggles with her own mind, and constantly battles with depression.
By committing suicide, May did not resolve her own problems caused by the

Essay On The Secret Life Of Bees
I chose to read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd because when I read the back of the book,
it seemed to portray an interesting plot. When reading it, I knew I was right. I feel that certain
people could relate to this and I know that situations like these are happening all around us even
as we speak. When reading the book, I knew who my favorite character and least favorite character
were right away. My favorite character was Lily. she is a very relatable character who goes against
all odds to try to find out what happened to her mother. My least favorite character was T. Ray. He
was a lazy and abusive excuse for a parent who should be put in jail for what he's done to Lily.
Besides the main characters of this book, I could point...show more content...
This shows you what life was like in the south in the 60's through the eyes of a teenager who is
around those of a different race. I would say the title The Secret Life Of Bees partly makes sense
because a majority of the book implements the topic of bees and the setting is often somehow
related to bees and honey farming. One book that I can see would be similar to The Secret Life
Of Bees would have to be Maniac Magee. Maniac Magee and The Secret Life Of Bees are similar
in the fact that they both have to do with racism and individuals overcoming racial barriers to
make true friendships. The most important part of The Secret Life Of Bees was at the end when
T. Ray tried to take Lily back and everyone at the honey farm and all of the Daughters Of Mary
refused to let Lily go because they considered her family. I feel this is the most important part of
the book because it showed that Lily's relationships with people she is not related to by blood(and
are not the same race) are stronger than the one she has with her own father. I would like to read
other books by Sue Monk Kidd. I think she did a wonderful job writing this book and would expect
her other books to be just as

The Secret Life Of Bees – Set 2 Question 1– Kidd's decision to write The Secret Life of Bees in the
perspective of young Lily Owens allow the reader to deeply understand the internal struggles that
have faced her from a young age. Through out the novel, Lily is looking for acceptance,
understanding, and love, all things that she hasn't felt for as long as she can remember. These
feelings, or lack there of stem from the mystery and guilt surrounding the death of Deborah
Owens, Lily's mother. A young three year old Lily is presumably the cause of Deborah's
accidental death, and it's something she's never been able to get over. "This is what I know about
myself. She was all I wanted. And I took her away" (Kidd 8). The direct look into the heart and
mind of Miss. Owens allows the reader to become connected and invested into the story. This being
said if her...show more content...
Without this fact Rosaleen never would have went to register and ran into the men that had beat
her. Which in turn would mean that Lily probably never would have it to the Boatwright's house
where she finally learned about her mother. This point in history was a hard time for the African
American society and setting the book then allows Kidd to include their hardships. This is also a
time when NASA was beginning to try to land a man on the moon, a task that no one thought
possible. While the country wanted to beat the Russians, August wasn't ready for the mystery to be
over. "'Look at her good Lily,' she said, ''cause you're seeing the end of something'" (Kidd 113).
Including this historical event lets the reader see deeper into August. The author was able to show
just how connected and wise August really is. She isn't ready for that mystery of a beautiful object
so far away to end. August knows that beauty untouched is somehow more

The Secret Life Of Bees – Set 2 Question 1– Kidd's decision to write The Secret Life of Bees in the
perspective of young Lily Owens allow the reader to deeply understand the internal struggles that
have faced her from a young age. Through out the novel Lily is looking for acceptance,
understanding, and love, all things that she hasn't felt for as long as she can remember. These
feelings, or lack there of stem from the mystery and guilt surrounding the death of Deborah
Owens, Lily's mother. A young three year old Lily is presumably the cause of Deborah's
accidental death, and it's something she's never been able to get over. "This is what I know about
myself. She was all I wanted. And I took her away" (Kidd 8). The direct look into the heart and
mind of Miss. Owens allows the reader to become connected and invested into the story. This being
said if her...show more content...
Whith out this faact Rosaleen never would have went to register and ran into the men that had
beat her. Which inturn would mean that Lily probably never would have it to the Boatwright's
house where she finally learned about her mother. This point in history was a hard time for the
African American society and setting the book then aloows kidd to include their hardships. This is
also a time when NASA was begining to try to land a man on the moon, a task that no one thought
possible. While the country wanted to beat the Russians, August wasn't ready for the mystery to be
over. "'Look at her good Lily,' she said, ''cause your seeing the end of something'" (Kidd 113).
Including this historical event lets the reader see deeper into August. The author was able to show
just how connected and wise August really is. She isn't ready for that mystery of a beautiful object
so far away to end. August knows that beauty untouched is somehow more

The Secret Life of Bees A family is a basic social unit consisting of parents and children. It is
considered a group of people where one can look to for acceptance, safety, happiness and love.
Families are the foundation to a human beings life because it is where one can be welcomes into the
society. Individuals are nurtured and given tools so they are capable of learning and experiencing the
world. Living in an unhealthy environment may impact the way someone thinks and acts physically
and emotionally, in the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Lily Owens, a young
fourteen year old girl who lives in South Carolina, loses her mother at the age of four because of a
devastating tragedy leading to her...show more content...
In a matter of seconds, I knew exactly what I had to do– leave" (Kidd, 41) When Lily can no longer
handle her harsh, unyielding father she decides to run away. T.Ray and Lily have a fight and
T.Ray bluntly tells Lily, "The truth is, your sorry mother ran off and left you. The day she dies,
she'd come back to get her things, that's all." (Kidd, 39) In that moment it causes Lily to be very
confused and makes her feel unimportant and unloved. "Some things were not possible in this
world. Children did not have two parents who refused to love them. One, maybe, but for pity's
sake, not two." (Kidd, 41) When Lily hears the truth about her mother did, she is outraged by this
statement and she runs away. Lily writes a note to T.ray telling him not to bother looking for her.
She decides to sneak Rosaleen out of the hospital before she returns to the jail and they run off to
Tiburon, South Carolina. Lily hates her father and with the choices she makes, in a matter of
time, Lily is forced to be responsible for herself and Rosaleen, she must learn how to be
independent. Lily and Rosaleen will take a journey that will change their lives and shape their
future forever. Lily who loses her mother at a very young age of four shapes her life around the
indistinctive memory of her mother's death. Lily has been profoundly affected by her own mother's
death; she believes that living with someone else's death can be more painful than dying.

The Secret Life Of Bees Theme Essay
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 Throughout the story, The Secret
Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd elaborates on the prolonging theme,that people grow and change
overtime through their experiences. This theme is furthermore developed through actions and
experiences of the author. This theme is seen within the characters, Lily and May. At the beginning
of the story Lily is described as a slightly prejudiced girl towards African American people, but after
meeting the Boatwright sisters, she grows to love and appreciate them as cultured and intelligent
people. Kidd writes, "I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white. Lying
on the cot in the honey house, though all I could think was August is so intelligent, so cultured, and
I was surprised...show more content...
One big element of symbolism was May's wailing wall. The wailing was is brought up throughout
the story and May, as well as shown visiting the wall several times as a way to lay out their
worries and the burdens they carry. Since May felt all the suffering in the world inside her, she
would constantly go to the wall as a coping device. This wall then symbolizes worries of the world,
and by laying all the worries on the wall, one could potentially rid themselves of these

Secret Life Of Bees
"Most people don't have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have
a secret life we just don't know anything about". Bee's have what we call; Secret lives. Not only do
bees have secret lives but humans also. Developing this metaphor that the hive is society and bees
are human, it shows that people are typically much more complex and complicated than they appear
on the surface. You never know how a person feels on the inside, unless the tell you of course, you
never know what someone is going through, how they're thinking or what they're thinking, you never
know what someones life is like, unless they tell you. We only see pretty faces, shining white teeth,
beautiful smiles, glistening eyes, and glowing skin

The Secret Life Of Bees Essay

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The Secret Life Of Bees Essay