Literary Analysis On The Secret Life Of Bees

Syrah Lutchmansingh
Mr. Warren
Lit/6
11 January, 2017
Independent Reading Literary Analysis
The novel, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, was published by Viking Penguin in 2002. This fictional coming of age novel has 302 pages and is a great read for young adults and adults alike.
The story is set in South Carolina in the year 1964 and is told in the first person point of view. The protagonist and narrator, a 14 year old girl named Lily Owens, has an internal, man versus man conflict. Throughout the story, she must come to terms with the death of her mother and the abuse from her father. With the help of her mother figure Rosaleen, the Boatwright sisters, and her love interest Zach, Lily finally accepts the truth of what happened

when she was only four.
In the exposition of the story, the reader discovers that the main character’s mother died when she was only four years old.

They also learn that the main character’s father, an owner of a peach farm, is verbally and physically abusive to her. There are many events that lead up to the climax of the story which are called rising actions. Some of the rising actions in this story are when Lily decides to run away from home and take Rosaleen with her. They travel to Tiburon, South Carolina and meet the Boatwright sisters - August, June, and May - who are kind enough to take them in. While staying with the sisters, August, the eldest sister of the three, teaches Lily about keeping bees and making honey. The climax of the story does not occur until almost the end of the story. During her stay with the sisters, Lily’s father has been searching for her. He finally finds her in Tiburon and knocks on the front door of the sisters house. He was angry and wanted Lily to come back to the farm with him, but of course, Lily protested. T. Ray finally gave up, got in his truck, and started to drive down the road when Lily stopped his truck. She faced her father and asked him if she had been the one to shoot her mother. When he tells her that that was true, Lily’s heart broke. In the resolution, August helps Lily realize that it was not her fault and she should stop blaming herself. She also realized that there are mother figures all around and if she puts her faith into something,

everything will all work out.
All of the characters in this story have to make decisions, but the one that drives the story forward the most is when Lily decides to run away from home. Rosaleen and Lily went to town one day so Rosaleen could register to vote. When they went into the city, they saw three white men and they began to make racist comments to Rosaleen and Lily. Rosaleen then poured a cup of her tobacco spit on their shoes which led to her arrest.
The Secret Life of Bees is a fantastic read. Sue Monk Kidd