Quest In Thomas Foster's The Secret Life Of Bees

When someone hears the word quest, their mind automatically goes to a mythical land of dragons and knights in shining armor. However, Thomas Foster’s book How to Read Literature Like a Professor states that this shouldn’t always be the case. In Chapter One: Every Trip Is a Quest, Foster claims that a quest in literature can take place in any time period and can be as mundane as grocery shopping. In order to classify an event as quest, it needs to follow certain criteria. There needs to be “a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges and trials en route, and a real reason to go there” (Foster, 3). Furthermore, considering the definition of a quest by Thomas Foster, it is clear that the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, fits

Now, a reader may believe that a travel destination on a quest should be extravagant such as a castle. On the contrary, Foster states that the setting of a quest can be simple such as a grocery store. In the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, Lily’s place to go may seem mundane. However, it holds meaning for her since her mother died when she was young, she doesn’t remember her well. Instead, she keeps her mother’s spirit alive through a box of her belongings. One of the items is a picture of the black Virgin Mary, with the words “Tiburon, South Carolina”. Additionally, Lily believes that since her mother treasured this picture that it holds a special meaning. When Lily finds the name of the woman who created the image, August Boatwright, her house becomes their new

As stated previously, Foster claims the reasons all questers go out is to obtain self-knowledge. Additionally, Foster states, “That’s why questers are so often young, inexperienced, immature, and sheltered” (Foster 3). Moreover, questers are so young because they don’t yet know who they are, usually while out on the quest they discover themselves. For example, Lily Owens in the novel is fourteen years old; she’s still subject to all of the elements around her. Although Lily states in the novel that the reason she is going to Tiburon is to learn more about her mother, there is another motive. Throughout the novel, August helps her realize that although she does not have a mother and feels empty and unloved, she can be the mother figure for herself. Furthermore, August says to Lily what she has been striving for all along, “You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside” (Kidd 288). In summary, Lily recognizes that while she was searching for self-love and assurance in a mother figure, that it would be an impossible feat. Everyone has the power to survive, even without a mom; you have the strength to love yourself and persevere. In conclusion, although Lily did not fully accomplish her stated reason to go on a quest, she did learn a lot about herself and her worth. The novel, The Secret Life of Bees, met