The Secret Life Of...

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a novel takes place in 1964 down in South Carolina. A teenage white girl, Lily Owens, and the black woman who raised her, Rosaleen, broke out of jail and fled to Tiburon, South Carolina to escape her past. Throughout the book there are events that shape her: Lily lying about her identity, when she finds out about her mother, and when her father finds Lily. Lily and Rosaleen arrive in Tiburon after running from the police because of a situation that took place back in their hometown. As soon as they arrive, they find the pink house where three sisters live: August, May and June. Lily decided it would be best for her to lie about her past. This event negatively impacted Lily. During chapter four…

“The Secret Life of Bees” is a novel about a young girl on an adventure to discover her lost mother, find love and develop extreme courage. Sue Monk Kidd does a fantastic job on writing about the feelings of the unknown and emphasizing what is great in life, instead of dwelling on the bad things. She punctuates that a family can be found where you would least expect it. A family is not just the people who live under the same roof, but perhaps may be people who share a common adventure or love…

A heartless father, a dead mom who she killed, and still a lifetime ahead of her being a woman in a racist world, this is the life of Lily, the protagonist, in the novel The Secret Life Of Bees written by Sue Monk Kidd. The story begins with Lily at the age of fourteen experiencing more than most typical fourteen year olds. Lily lives in Sylvan, South Carolina in the same house where she accidently shot her mom when she was four years old. Lily’s memory of the day of the shooting is very foggy…

Universals Although the human race has numerous unique cultural opinions, all parents have an ideal role and pressure that their society places on them. For most children, their father is a significant impact on their life and character, and can influence them regardless of whether their relationship is negative, positive, or even neutral. Many people have at least one father figure in their lives who expresses affection and warmth whether it is by handing monetary gifts, upholding strict…

In the novel, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, the time period is set when the Civil Rights Act was just put into place. This time period affects the way Lily views, racism and her opinions on segregation and inequality. This novel discusses real world problems that happened back in the '60s and are even occurring to this day. Lily Owens lived at a peach farm in North Carolina with her abusive father and black housekeeper Rosaleen. When Rosaleen gets arrested and the abuse is getting…

Sue Monk Kidd's first novel The Secret Life of Bees belongs to the bildungsroman genre of literature that portrays the journey of its young protagonist, Lily Owens to selfhood in the company of her black caregiver Rosaleen. Kidd through her narrative piece, reveals the power of black women, not only Rosaleen but also a group of beekeeping sisters and a Black Mary to construct a safe haven where Lily can survive amidst her crumbled life, eventually developing psychologically into a self…

Secret Life of Bees Theme “People, in general, would rather die than forgive.” (Kidd 277) Though it might sound morbid, Sue Monk Kidd states the grim reality through a revelation of Lily Owens, the main character in her novel, The Secret Life of Bees. Lily must learn to receive and offer forgiveness as she matures throughout the novel, but as in all situations (and especially in her’s), forgiving is not easy. Growing up with her father, T. Ray, Lily has been the victim of abuse and negligence.…

In the novel The Secret Life of Bees, the setting changes. In beginning of the novel, the story is set in Sylvan, South Carolina. Then Lily escapes to Tiburon, South Carolina. It is originally set at the Owens peach farm, in Sylvan, South Carolina. Until Lily runs away, and the setting changes to August’s house in Tiburon. The novel takes place in the late 1960s starting in 1964. The main character of this novel is Lily Owens. She is a 14 year old girl, who lives with her father on a…

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, demonstrates the primary character flourish throughout the novel and face realities in 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement. A fourteen-year-old girl named Lily Owens born on a peach farm in Sylvan, South Carolina, lives with an abusive father, T. Ray. When Lily’s mother died, her black nanny, Rosaleen, took on the role as her fill in mother. On Rosaleen’s way to obtain her voters card she is sentenced to imprisonment. After T. Ray had mentioned…

Secret Life of Bees: Motif In her novel, The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd includes many motifs to reinforce the story’s theme. The Virgin Mary is a recurring figure that enhances the strong, feminist plot. The motif serves as a guide for the character Lily as she goes on a journey to discover who her mother was and escape the abusive clutches of her father, while also representing hope and being a figure of feminism. As Lily escapes the miserable peach orchard, she is steered by a…