Sue Monk Kidd's "Secret Life of Bees"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that 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. The author points out that the book reinforces the understanding of the important role a mother plays in her child's growth. The paper relates that one of the most significant events in the book occurs when Lily's mother dies because 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.

From the Paper:

""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". 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."

More papers on Sue Monk Kidd's "Secret Life of Bees":

• Film Review # 128106 : "Cultural Competence in "The Secret Life of Bees"
• Book Review # 114443 : "Sue Monk Kidd's "The Secret Life of Bees"
• Book Review # 104254 : "The Secret Life of Bees" and the Black Madonna"

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