Stereotypes In The Secret Life Of Bees

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Sue Monk Kidd begins her novel, The Secret Life of Bees, from the first person point of Lily Melissa Owens, writing “July 1, 1964, I lay in bed, waiting for the bees to show up, thinking of what Rosaleen had said . . . ‘Bees swarm before death’” (2). Little does Lily known that death is in fact quickly approaching in the disguise of earth-shattering truths and progressive ideas that profoundly change her life and open her eyes to the power of love. Kidd bases many ideas in this novel on her own life, from the fact that she had her own stubborn nanny, like Rosaleen, to the vivid descriptions of settings and characters, only able to come to life through Kidd’s own memories of her childhood in the south. Kidd uses this knowledge to characterize …show more content…
Through Lily’s adventures, struggles, and pain, the reader finds that tragedies and racial barriers can be overcome through the power of unconditional love. Kidd contributes to this theme through communicating that August’s wiseness and acceptingness is what allows her to embrace both those that love her and those that she loves to overcome her guilt of May’s suicide and love Lily despite her race and her darkest secrets. The changes in June’s character towards Lily show how love always overcomes racial barriers and that one’s love for others can allow them to guide them through difficult choices and surrenders. Lily’s stubbornness and open-mindedness show that a strong relationship, even with one that seems originally unattainable, is possible through adamant love and embracing one’s own thoughts rather than following the crowd. Throughout this mesmerizing story, Lily yearns for love, looking for it everywhere and trying to fit in as best as she can to find it. However, as she slowly and painfully comes of age, she discovers that rather than looking to others to find it, one must look within and embrace their flaws to discover love and find true
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