The book, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd opens with a fourteen year old white girl, Lily Owens. She lives in Sylvan, South Carolina with her abusive father T. Ray and her housemaid, Rosaleen. Lily was only four years old when her mother died. She heard that it was because of her as well, and this is the only memory she has of her. The only physical items from her mother she had were a pair of gloves and a picture of a black Mary. Rosaleen decides to register to vote once the Civil Rights Act was passed. Lily joins her and while they 're on the way a group of white men harass her. Rosaleen was fed up with non-equality towards colored people so she poured snuff spit on their shoes. The men retaliate and abuse her ferociously and get
…show more content…
She meets a boy of color, Zach who works with the bees as well. She was surprised that he could be so attractive and be black. “... But it was his face I couldn 't help staring at. If he was shocked over me being white, I was shocked over him being handsome,” (Kidd 116). They quickly start to like each other. After a couple weeks of living with the Boatwright sisters Lily notices May luring bugs out of the house with graham crackers, something she remembers her mother doing. She asks May if she knew of her mother Deborah and she says that she lived in the pink house. Lily is so happy about the fact that she found some past of her mother. Zach eventually ends up in jail after his friend threw a bottle at a white man for discriminating them. The news gets to May and she is so upset that she takes her own life that …show more content…
She replied,“ ‘ the first day you showed up, I took one look at you and all I could see was Deborah when she was your age, ’ ” (Kidd 236). Lily eventually figures out that T. Ray was right and that her mother did leave her, even though she traveled back home to bring Lily back to the pink house. But, before she could she got shot and killed accidentally by Lily. T. Ray finds Lily and tries to take her back to Sylvan with him, but he lets her stay with the sisters instead. The book ends with Zach and Lily attending school together, and Lily is so grateful for August and June to take care of
She meets a boy of color, Zach who works with the bees as well. She was surprised that he could be so attractive and be black. “... But it was his face I couldn 't help staring at. If he was shocked over me being white, I was shocked over him being handsome,” (Kidd 116). They quickly start to like each other. After a couple weeks of living with the Boatwright sisters Lily notices May luring bugs out of the house with graham crackers, something she remembers her mother doing. She asks May if she knew of her mother Deborah and she says that she lived in the pink house. Lily is so happy about the fact that she found some past of her mother. Zach eventually ends up in jail after his friend threw a bottle at a white man for discriminating them. The news gets to May and she is so upset that she takes her own life that …show more content…
She replied,“ ‘ the first day you showed up, I took one look at you and all I could see was Deborah when she was your age, ’ ” (Kidd 236). Lily eventually figures out that T. Ray was right and that her mother did leave her, even though she traveled back home to bring Lily back to the pink house. But, before she could she got shot and killed accidentally by Lily. T. Ray finds Lily and tries to take her back to Sylvan with him, but he lets her stay with the sisters instead. The book ends with Zach and Lily attending school together, and Lily is so grateful for August and June to take care of