Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.
The Secret Life of Bees is a novel by Sue Monk Kidd that explores themes of loss, grief, acceptance, and forgiveness. Furthermore, in her book, Kidd raises the topics of race and color. In fact, in 2004, the novel received The Indies Choice Book Award and was nominated for The Womens Prize for Fiction (Saidah et al. 100). The same-name film based on Kidds work was released in 2008 (Saidah et al. 100). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the process of grief as a theme of The Secret Life of Bees.
Summary
The book under analysis opens with Lily Melissa Owens discovering bees in her bedroom. The main character is a 14-year-old white girl who lives in Sylvan, a fictional town in South Carolina, with her abusive and cold father T. Ray and Rosaleen, a black maid. Lilys mother, Deborah, died the day she was to leave T. Ray when the main character was 4 years old. Lily, as she has grown older, is more curious to know about Deborah. The main character has kept her mothers memory alive by taking the only items the woman left behind, a pair of white gloves, a photo of her, and a picture of Black Mary.
After Rosaleens arrested by white men, Lily quarrels with T. Ray who says that Deborah did not need Lily. The girl rescues Rosaleen and they go to Tiburon because the mane of this city was written on the picture of Black Mary. There, Lily sees the same picture labeled on honey jars and together with Rosaleen, visits the house of the Boatwright sisters who manufacture the honey. She stays with the sisters and helps them in the apiary. Then, it turns out that August, one of the sisters, used to be Deborahs nanny. The woman tells Lily the story of her mother and assures her that Deborah wanted to leave T. Ray and take the daughter with her. However, the main character does not believe this until the father finds her and confirms Augusts words; moreover, it turns out that it was Lily who shot Deborah by accident.
Forecasting and Thesis Statements
Based on the plot, it might be stated that Deborahs death has left T. Ray feeling angry and resulted in his living in isolation. The man could not bear the loss he had been already going through before she died. T. Ray took his anger out on Lily and held a grudge against her. In the end, the man accepted that he was angry because Deborah came back only for Lily and not for him. I could not help feeling sorry for the father; T. Ray had to live with his tragedy. He lost her twice and would never love them again. Hence, the following forecasting statement can be made: in the novel, the process of grief plays a major role in T. Rays life.
At the same time, not only the man but also Lily is unhappy because of Deborahs death. Thus, the thesis statement is that grief and acceptance are key themes of the book. Lily does not know much about Deborah but Augusts kind heart and beautiful soul allow the girl to feel her presence and most importantly, to forgive herself. August and her sisters give the main character maternal love and help her gain confidence and become happy. Furthermore, thanks to them, Lily learns how to work and sees that color, race, and gender do not matter.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it might be stated that the plot of The Secret Life of Bees is centered on the process of putting up with life circumstances. T. Ray obtains relief and forgives himself after a difficult conversation with Lily during which he stops passing his dreams off as reality. The girl, in her turn, accepts the situation and lets herself be happy with the help of three loving women.
Work Cited
Saidah, Nur, Dyah Sunggingwati, and Chris Asanti. Motivation of the Main Character in Sue Monk Kidds Secret Life of Bees. Ilmu Budaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni dan Budaya, 3.1 (2019): 99-105.
Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.