Lily Owens In The Secret Life Of Bees

The character who changed the most in the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, was Lily Owens. Firstly, Lily’s change stems from her abnormal relationship with T. Ray. T. Ray abuses Lily. Sue Monk Kidd writes when Lily is punished with grits, “I swayed from knee to knee, hoping for a second or two of relief, but the pain cut deep into my skin” (24). This punishment physically hurt Lily, and aided to the constant physical abuse performed by T. Ray. From the beginning of Lily’s life, she is afraid of doing wrong to avoid horrible punishments. Therefore, Lily believed that she is unloved. Secondly, Lily’s actions motivated change. The moment when Lily finally told August Boatwright the startling truth about her past, is the moment she learns to trust

again. Monk Kidd writes, “My voice came out barely a whisper. I cleared my throat. ‘Remember when you said we should have a talk?’” (235). This was a turning point in Lily’s life. Readers saw how scared she is of August’s reaction by how Kidd described her voice. Lily took a leap forward by finally trusting August. Thirdly, Lily changed from recognizing that she is loved. Lily, devastated that her mother left her, was consoled with the realization that she has multiple mothers (302). Lily Owens has finally accepted the past, and acknowledged that the people who love her consist of the Daughters of Mary, the spiritual Lady of Chains, and many more. Lily was at peace. In conclusion, Lily was the character who changed the most in Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, The Secret Life of Bees.

Sue Monk Kidd does a wonderful job using quotes about bees to contain a deeper meaning in her novel, The Secret Life of Bees.

The opening quote of chapter ten, from The Dancing Bees, states, “Threatened by all kinds of dangers during their foraging flights, many workers die before they have reached even that age” (189). Bees face many dangers within their lives, resulting in early deaths. To start, May’s faces dangers too. Although, unlike the bees, her dangers include depression and sorrow. May feels the pain of the world. Kidd writes, “Everything just comes into her [May]--all the suffering out there--and she feels as if it is happening to her” (95). May cannot differentiate between her own pain and that of the world’s. Because of this, sadness has become a daily thing in May’s life. May and the bees are challenged with many problems daily. To finish, May, like bees, had an early death. May kills herself after finding out Zach is in prison. Her suicide note read, as Kidd writes, “I’m tired of carrying around the weight of the world. I’m just going to lay it down now. It’s my time to die, and it’s your time to live” (210). May ended her life because of the hardships she faced. Her early death is evidenced by May telling her sisters that it is their time to live. Both May and worker bees have early deaths. To conclude, the bee quotes Sue Monk Kidd used in her novel, The Secret Life of Bees, have a deeper

meaning.

The most significant passage in Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, The Secret Life of Bees, is within pages 70-78. These pages set the tone of the novel. First, Rosaleen and Lily meet August. Immediately after meeting the pair, she offers them a place to stay and some orangeade (72). This passage demonstrates August’s kindness as she helps them without hesitation. Rosaleen and Lily will depend on this kindness throughout the novel. In addition to that, the passage also shows August’s understanding. Lily lies about how she came to the Boatwright’s residence. August can tell Lily is lying. Monk Kidd writes, “‘I see,’ said August. And the thing was, she did. She saw right through it” (74). The way Monk Kidd writes this makes readers believe that August, although kind, is very smart. She can tell Lily is lying. August allows Lily’s lie go though, because she understands Lily’s situation. She knows Lily lied because she does not know who to trust. Third, the significant passage shows Lily a life consisting of normality. August walks Lily through the honey process, showing her the equipment for processing the honey (77). These tools interact with August’s everyday life. Lily, who will work for August, must also be able to use these tools. By indulging Lily into her own life, August is presenting normality to Lily. Soon, this will be Lily’s own normal. To conclude, pages 70-78 is the most significant passage in Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, The Secret Life of Bees.