Sue Monk Kidd's Book, the Secret Life Term Paper

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Sue Monk Kidd's book, The Secret Life of Bees, is a testament to the healing power of love in a young girl's life. Lily, was left motherless at four, and blames herself for her mother's death. The book is deeply moving and beautifully written, especially through Kidd's treatment of the loss of Lily's mother. Personally, the book reinforced my understanding of the important role a mother plays in her child's growth, and how love can heal many wounds.

The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, a young woman reeling from the death of her mother at the age of four. Lily lives with her ornery and dismissive father, and blames herself for her mother's death. She is largely alone in the world, with only the company of a black woman, Rosaleen, who her father has hired to keep up the house, and who ends up being Lily's "stand-in mother" (p. 2). Rosaleen, who has gone into town to register to vote against T. Ray's wishes, insults three of the town's biggest racists by spilling spit onto their shoes. Rosaleen is mistreated by police, and Rosaleen is sent to jail. Lily decides they must escape, and the two women make their way to Tiburon, South Carolina, guided only by the fact that this name is on one of her mother's pictures. At Tiburon, they are "adopted" by three sisters, May, June, and August Boatwright, who keep bees. The three women are kind and strong, and help Lily and Rosaleen adapt to their new lives. Lily makes friends with a young black boy named Zach. Eventually, Lily learns that her mother had stayed with May, June, and August after she had left T. Ray, and that she had come back to collect Lily. T.

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Ray tracks Lily down, the two have a confrontation, and R. Ray slaps and grabs her. He leaves, and Lily resumes her life in the bee house.

Overall, I found this book to be beautifully written and deeply moving. Lily's struggles with the death of her mother are heartbreaking to read, and Sue Monk Kidd does a wonderful job of creating vibrant moving images. Her descriptions bring up emotions, and create interesting images and impressions. Writes Kidd, "During the day I heard (the bees) tunneling through the walls of my bedroom, sounding like a radio tuned to static in the next room, and I imagined them in there turning the walls into honeycombs, with honey seeping out for me to taste." Here, Kidd's description of honeycombs in the walls illustrates her almost poetic and haunting writing style.

One of the most significant events in the book occurs when Lily's mother dies. This event is important for many reasons. The loss of Lily's mother is crucial to the plot and theme of the rest of the book. It is the loss of her mother that leaves Lily motherless and alone. Lily blames herself for her mother's death, and is consumed by guilt and regret. Says Lily, "She was all I wanted. And I took her away" (p. 7). These themes of maternal loss, guilt and forgiveness are weaved throughout the book, and can all be traced back to the death of Lily's mother.

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"Sue Monk Kidd's Book The Secret Life" (2004, October 04) Retrieved July 9, 2025, from
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