The Impact of Racism in Sue Monk Kidds' The Secret Life of Bees

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In Sue Monk Kidds The Secret Life of Bees, the main character runs away from home, to get away from her father. Her mother died when she was little and she was told she had a part of her death. She finds a picture of her mother and a town name is mentioned on the back of it. This is where she runs off to to find more about her mother. Lily the main character realizes that racism has a big impact in her life through the relationships with the boatwright sisters, when she runs away to Tiburon. In the beginning Lily is very oblivious to racism in and around her life. During her time in Tiburon Lily experiences herself being a minority and in the beginning she has trouble coping with it. In the end she realizes the impact of racism through the boatwright sisters.

Initially, Lily is naive about the effects of racism. It is the summer of 1964 when the civil rights act is passed and it is supposed to give african americans rights they deserve. But Rosaleen the african american lady that Lily runs away with knows that it will take time for her to gain rights. They are looking for a place to eat and sleep and Rosaleen mentions that no one will let her eat or sleep in their restaurant for the color of her skin. Lily doesn't understand:”Well what was the point of the of the Civil Rights Act?...doesn't that mean people have to let you stay in their motels and eat in their restaurant if they want to”(60) There in a time when segregation from whites and blacks was very prevalent and no white restaruant wanted to let a african american in. Lily believes that the Civil Rights Act will change everything instantly, even though Rosaleen knows that it wont. When Rosaleen and Lily arrive in Tiburon they go to stay with this woman who is f...

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...y. She is thinking to herself and says:”If he was shocked over me being white, I was shocked over him being handsome. At my school they made fun of colored peoples lips and noses. I myself had laughed at these jokes, hoping to fit in”(116). She realizes this because of the impact of racism. She knows now that it was wrong of her to laugh because now she likes a colored person and doesn't have prejudice. She gained this type of acceptance through her relations in Tiburon.

While being colored during those times must have been hard Lily learned to accept them and not tolerate racism. If it weren't for her relationship with the sister then she wouldn't have known the effects of racism. The sisters taught her to love everyone no matter their skin color. She becomes more aware, that she falls for a colored boy something she herself would have never thought of doing.

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