"The Secret Life of Bees"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Sue Monk Kidd's book, "The Secret Life of Bees". The paper introduces the characters of the story and describes how Rosaleen and the 'Calendar sisters' have an impact on Lily by acting as mother figures to her. The paper contends that one of the most powerful aspects of the book is that it does not provide perfect or traditional images of motherhood or female religious faith. The paper illustrates how the book also offers an image of feminine solidarity and strength in a religious fashion as well as in a political fashion.

From the Paper:

"The central protagonist of Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees is a motherless young girl in the American South named Lily. Instead of her natural mother, an African-American woman named Rosaleen brings up Lily in a difficult household. This fact might seem to plant Sue Monk Kidd's saga squarely in the tradition of Gone with the Wind, and other tales of proud, defiant Southern women raised by complacent and maternal black 'mammies.' But Lily is not 'to the manner born,' like Scarlet O'Hara. Her home is a home of pain rather than comfort and Rosaleen is defiant rather than submissive to the racism of the world around her."

More papers on "The Secret Life of Bees":

• Analytical Essay # 62317 : "The 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"

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