Sue Monk Kidd

In the novel The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd the protagonist Lily matures and progresses throughout the novel, learning new skills and tips. When Lily finds out a terrifying truth about her mother she tries not to believe it and runs away. Taking her house maid, who recently was put in jail, with her she travels to a city which she thinks can help her find the truth about her mother. As she goes through this life changing adventure she changes in many ways, in one way she gains confidence, also she realizes the Boatrights and the other Daughter of Mary can act as her mother and finally how she thinks of her dad, T Ray. In the beginning of the book Lily struggled to make friends and worried about her appearance. As the book went on she gained confidence and started to respect herself more. Lily says, “I worried so much about how I looked and whether I was doing things right, I felt half the time I was impersonating a girl instead of really being one” (Kidd 9). This shows how Lily's confidence is low and how

When she stays with the Boatrights she realizes how much they love her and how she doesn't need a birth mother to have a mother. Kidd rights, “I sank farther down…hardly aware of myself mumbling the words out loud. ‘I am unlovable’” (242). This shows how Lily thinks that since she killed her mom that she wouldn’t find a mother figure or anyone else to love her. Later she realizes how the Boatrights and Daughters of Mary care for her and love her. August says, “‘Mr. Owens, you would be doing Lily and the rest of us a favor by leaving her here. … We love Lily, and we’ll take care of her …’” (Kidd 298). When August and the Daughters of Mary come to tell Mr. Owens to leave Lily with them it shows how much they love her and how they act as Lily’s 8 mothers. Lily progresses with her emotional self to help with the loss of her mother and gaining 8 new loving