Little Bee by Chris Cleave is a thought provoking and well written novel highlighting the depths of human nature. Written through alternating points of view, Cleave connects two unlikely characters; a white woman from Kingston-upon-Thames and a sixteen year old Nigerian girl. On a vacation to Nigeria, Sarah, the woman from England, sacrifices her finger to save the Nigerian girl, Little Bee, from a mob looking to kill everyone in her village. While their story begins there, they share a connection throughout the novel, showcasing the contrasts between a Western society and teenage Nigerian girl. Through these perspectives, along with those of Andrew, Sarah’s husband, Charlie, their son, and Lawrence, Sarah’s lover, Cleave highlights the issues
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Little Bee declares, “I am only alive at all because I learned the Queen’s English” (2). While her comment brings focus to Sarah’s English-speaking society, it also makes a statement about the incredible power, control, and untested authority of that population. A culture with that much control forces Little Bee “to forget all the best tricks of [her] mother tongue” (2) because her life depends on her ability to speak English. The motif of “the Queen’s English” is mentioned many times by Little Bee throughout the novel as it seems to truly save her in many situations. One time, she calls for a taxi from the Black Hill Immigration Removal Centre and is allowed one because she does not “talk like one of them” (15). Though Little Bee is able to “survive” in a British world because she speaks the Queen’s English, it displays the controlling nature of the Western society in which they force all other cultures to act and speak in the same manner as them. Nevertheless, Little Bee can never fit in. She believes if she learned to “speak like you people do, [she] would be able to stay” (246), but ultimately she is told, “It doesn’t matter how you talk, does it? You’re a drain on resources. The point is you don’t belong here” (246). Though trying to conform as the Western society asks of her, Little Bee is unable to “be British” (246) as, sadly, sacrifice of her native language to …show more content…
This time, however, she makes the trip back to the country she desperately wanted to escape with a friend: Sarah. Unlike most of her country, Sarah believes she has a duty to help not only Little Bee, but other refugees. There are few like Sarah as “It isn’t an issue that affects anyone’s own life” (204) making it easy for many people to brush over the huge issue of immigration. Though Sarah eventually helps Little Bee, she still feels that reluctance to take on a life changing task when she asks, “Do you remember back when you felt you could actually do something to make the world better?” (206). She shares that feeling of impossibleness with the majority of her people, but nevertheless travels to Nigeria to save one refugee at a time. Through the relatability of his novel, Cleave illustrates the atrocities a Nigerian refugee endures while portraying an example of helping and hope for the reader to follow. As Sarah confirms, immigration is “an issue that isn’t going to go away. May, June, or anytime soon” (203). Through the well written nature of Chris Cleave’s novel, Little Bee, he leaves his audience with the message that something must and can be done about refugees as they are, after all, just human
Little Bee declares, “I am only alive at all because I learned the Queen’s English” (2). While her comment brings focus to Sarah’s English-speaking society, it also makes a statement about the incredible power, control, and untested authority of that population. A culture with that much control forces Little Bee “to forget all the best tricks of [her] mother tongue” (2) because her life depends on her ability to speak English. The motif of “the Queen’s English” is mentioned many times by Little Bee throughout the novel as it seems to truly save her in many situations. One time, she calls for a taxi from the Black Hill Immigration Removal Centre and is allowed one because she does not “talk like one of them” (15). Though Little Bee is able to “survive” in a British world because she speaks the Queen’s English, it displays the controlling nature of the Western society in which they force all other cultures to act and speak in the same manner as them. Nevertheless, Little Bee can never fit in. She believes if she learned to “speak like you people do, [she] would be able to stay” (246), but ultimately she is told, “It doesn’t matter how you talk, does it? You’re a drain on resources. The point is you don’t belong here” (246). Though trying to conform as the Western society asks of her, Little Bee is unable to “be British” (246) as, sadly, sacrifice of her native language to …show more content…
This time, however, she makes the trip back to the country she desperately wanted to escape with a friend: Sarah. Unlike most of her country, Sarah believes she has a duty to help not only Little Bee, but other refugees. There are few like Sarah as “It isn’t an issue that affects anyone’s own life” (204) making it easy for many people to brush over the huge issue of immigration. Though Sarah eventually helps Little Bee, she still feels that reluctance to take on a life changing task when she asks, “Do you remember back when you felt you could actually do something to make the world better?” (206). She shares that feeling of impossibleness with the majority of her people, but nevertheless travels to Nigeria to save one refugee at a time. Through the relatability of his novel, Cleave illustrates the atrocities a Nigerian refugee endures while portraying an example of helping and hope for the reader to follow. As Sarah confirms, immigration is “an issue that isn’t going to go away. May, June, or anytime soon” (203). Through the well written nature of Chris Cleave’s novel, Little Bee, he leaves his audience with the message that something must and can be done about refugees as they are, after all, just human