secret life of bees essay prompts

The Secret Life of Bees

By sue monk kidd, the secret life of bees essay questions.

What are some of the ways that bees serve as symbols in Lily's life?

a) Bees symbolize Lily's mother in a number of instances throughout the novel. In Sylvan, Lily feels her mother's presence when swarms of bees enter her room. Her mother's name, Deborah, literally translates as "bee." She follows the path of her mother to Tiburon and finds herself on a honey farm.

b) Bees model human society. Once Lily begins her beekeeper training with August, she quickly learns the ways in which a beehive models the human world. Lily learns to send the bees love, to act like she knows what she's doing, and to avoid angry outbursts--all reasonably good lessons for life.

c) Bees, like Lily, need a queen or a mother figure in order to function. At the beginning of the novel, Lily uses the memory of her mother as this figure. Lily sometimes depends on Rosaleen to fulfill this role, and once in Tiburon, Lily mainly counts on August. Eventually, she turns to all eight of her Tiburon "mothers" to fulfill this need in her life.

Why does Lily feel the need to carry around mouse bones with her?

Answer: Lily finds the mouse bones under her bed when she is storing her mother's belongings. Therefore, Lily makes some odd connection between the mouse bones and the sentimental day on which she learned of her mother's love for her. Lily is in an emotionally heightened state, and she therefore displays some seemingly irrational behavior. After Lily finishes babysitting the mouse bones, she determines that she may have just needed to nurse something. But she might have intuited that the bones could be from a mouse Deborah once saw. In addition, the bones could symbolize Deborah's dead body.

How does Lily's idea of a mother change throughout the novel?

Answer: In the beginning of the novel, Lily associates the idea of "mother" only with a legal and biological connection between a woman and her child. She displays this definition when she dreams of Rosaleen adopting her and becoming her "real mother." But Lily's relationship with her biological mother is based on memories and uncertainty. Lily spends the majority of her childhood attempting to put together the missing pieces in her mother's life. Such curiosity drives Lily to travel to Tiburon. Lily experiences feelings of anger, pity, and grief when she learns the true story of her own mother.

Along the way, Lily also recognizes Our Lady in Chains as the mother of all, including her. She looks to Mary as a mother who brings about the inner strength inside Lily.

Finally, Lily is able to connect the term "mother" to the eight women in Tiburon who have pledged their love, time, and resources to ensure that she has the best life possible. Now, a mother in her mind is someone who takes up the role of a mother.

What does the symbol of Our Lady of Chains provide for the Daughters of Mary?

Answer: The Daughters of Mary, as a group of black women in the South in the 1960s, have clearly been exposed to their share of discrimination. The Boatwright sisters have attended college, but they have not really been able to find appropriate jobs outside of the black community, except for domestic positions within white households. The women feel the societal chains that bind them to a specific status position. The story of Our Lady provides women with hope for advancing their lives regardless of the "chains" that hold them down. Rather, they realize their ability to harness their internal power to enhance their lives.

What are some examples of characters suffering from the "burden of knowing"?

Answer: Lily feels terrible pain when she learns the truth about her mother temporarily leaving her behind. Lily feels that she would rather go back to the point in her life when she could just wonder about the truth, given that the truth hurts her so much. She is forced to move forward with this new information anyway. When she sees the photograph depicting her as a baby interacting with Deborah, however, she then realizes her mother loved her. Suddenly, she is hurt again, but in a new way because she feels a great loss due to her mother's death, and she realizes even more strongly how her own killing of her mother has caused this loss.

May feels a great burden from perceiving the pain of the world. She is weighed down when others are hurt. She does her best to alleviate the pain through rituals like putting notes in the wailing wall. Her family attempts to shield her from knowledge that will hurt her further. But when she does learn the truth about Zach, the burden becomes too heavy, for she also learns what everyone else thinks about her frailty, and she ultimately kills herself.

August, for her part, feels the burden of knowing that Lily's story is false, yet August is willing to shoulder this burden in patience until Lily is ready to talk.

How does Lily's concept of race evolve throughout the novel?

Answer: Lily begins the novel having a close relationship with Rosaleen, her black housekeeper. Still, she does not consider white people and black people to be equal. When she arrives in Tiburon, however, she realizes her own prejudices. She discovers that she has believed that she did not believe that a black person could be as smart as she is. Her idea was disproved once she met August. She also is angry when June discriminates against her for being white. She begins to understand discrimination and begins to be able to empathize. Then, when Lily falls for Zach, she is overcome with curiosity and confusion that she could be attracted to a black man. Yet, she soon realizes her deep and lasting feelings for him and sees him for who he is. Despite their love, Lily learns that they cannot truly be together because of the racial divide between them, and she comes to understand the equality of people as well as the curse of racism. When she is fully accepted by the Daughters of Mary and fully appreciates the Black Madonna, we can say that she has become fully integrated into a world (as yet unrealized elsewhere) where race does not matter for getting along with others in equality and love.

What causes T. Ray to become so bitter and abusive toward Lily?

Answer: Lily's mother and T. Ray had seemingly been truly in love when they first began their relationship. August tells Lily that Deborah said that T. Ray treated her like a princess, and they conceived a child. Deborah finally agreed to marry T. Ray after she was pregnant. Yet, at some point in their marriage, their relationship turned sour. Deborah fell into depression, the cause of which is uncertain. Deborah eventually left her Sylvan home with Lily to escape to Tiburon. Lily determines that when Deborah left, it must have effectively killed T. Ray, which would explain his harsh attitude and bitterness. Additionally, Deborah's death must have caused T. Ray great sadness. Now that Lily has grown to be a teenager, she looks more and more like Deborah. T. Ray takes out his anger towards Deborah on Lily, most clearly demonstrated at the end of the novel, when he actually addresses Lily as Deborah.

Discuss why and how Lily is torn about her sense of home after she arrives in Tiburon.

Answer: Lily loves her new life in Tiburon. She loves her work in the honey house, her relationship with the Boatwright sisters, and her interactions with Zach. She finds herself happy keeping her life a secret and keeping the facade she has created. Yet, despite her utopian life in Tiburon, Lily cannot help but wonder what T. Ray is going through back in Sylvan. After all, despite T. Ray's horrible treatment of Lily, he is the only real parent whom Lily has known. Lily wonders if he misses her, if he worries about her, and if he feels guilty for her treatment of her. Due to this curiosity, Lily surrenders to her urges and calls T. Ray, which ultimately leads him to find her in Tiburon.

How does Lily's relationship with Zach expand her understanding of herself and of society?

Answer: Once Lily begins her relationship with Zach, she learns that she has the capability to love a boy. Additionally, she is fascinated by the thought that she is capable of becoming so enamored by a black boy, a situation she had never thought possible. She begins to become more in touch with her own body as it is evolving into womanhood. She also more clearly understands her feelings, her urges, and her fears. Zach provides her with a solid sense of self, of confidence, and of hope for her future. Lily also learns that society will not always make room for love. Societal views in the time and place of the novel would never permit a relationship between a young interracial couple. Lily learns that despite her mutual feelings with Zach, the nation needs some sort of revolution before it will accept their relationship.

August tells Lily that the most important purpose of life is to "persist in love." How does August exemplify her own words?

Answer: August has lived an unmarried life, but she is in no way alone. From her childhood, she has always been surrounded by the love of her family. August returns that love unconditionally. She discusses her intense love and her sorrow concerning April. She consistently tolerates the narrow-minded opinions of June, and she does everything she can to provide May with as much relief from pain as possible. She is clearly the leader of the family, for she runs the honey farm, bringing in the majority of the income. At the same time, however, August represents the emotional leadership in the family, holding the other women as they cry, laughing with them, and providing unconditional love. At a time when it would be easier not to do so, August provided great love for Deborah, even after she finished working with the Fontanel family. A generation later, August allows Lily to stay with her, persisting in love for Deborah. She loves Lily despite her lies, her anger, and her sadness. She ultimately makes a great sacrifice, taking Lily and Rosaleen into her household, because she loves them. (Remember the positive meanings of the word "august," which also relate to August.)

The Secret Life of Bees Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Secret Life of Bees is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

what happened when shoe arrived at the jail with lily and rosaleen

Franklin hit Rosaleen with his flashlight.

why were bits of paper stuck in the stone wall

It was May's way to dealing with suffering. Whenever May Boatwright hears about something tragic in the world, she writes it down on a piece of paper and slips the paper into the cracks of a stone wall near her house.

Lily finds herself making choices based on signs she interprets, what is she trying to decide based on seeing the crop duster flying over the tops in Tiburon?

In this scene, Lily is trying to decide whether or not she should remain living in an uncertain world filled with questions and fear... or move on... begin her journey of personal identity and self discovery. The flight of the crop-duster serves...

Study Guide for The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees study guide contains a biography of Sue Monk Kidd, literature essays, 100 quiz questions, major themes, characters, a glossary, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Secret Life of Bees
• The Secret Life of Bees Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Secret Life of Bees

Literature essays on The Secret Life of Bees are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

• The Concept of Monomyth in Kidd's Secret Life of Bees
• The Role of Nature in The Secret Life of Bees
• Mother Figures in The Secret Life of Bees
• Pervasive Racism in The Secret Life of Bees
• Love, Forgiveness, Enlightenment: Lily's Journey in The Secret Life of Bees

Lesson Plan for The Secret Life of Bees

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Secret Life of Bees
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Secret Life of Bees Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Secret Life of Bees

• Introduction

The Secret Life of Bees

40 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapters 7-8

Chapters 9-10

Chapters 11-12

Chapters 13-14

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Zach gifts Lily a notebook for her stories after he learns of her dreams to be a writer someday. What does this practice of writing things down, of telling stories, release in Lily? Why is this activity important for her?

How do Lily’s racist beliefs come to the surface in the pink house? Why is she suddenly able to see some of her own implicit biases more clearly?

Grief is a subject that takes many shapes in this novel. How does witnessing others’ grief help Lily move through her own?

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The Secret Life of Bees Essays

During the book The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, the reader is able to see some of the many unique values or characteristics that Lily, the main character, holds. Even in the early stages of this book one is able to see Lily’s character traits, such as, her low self-worth and esteem, her...

Set in the American South in 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act and intensifying racial unrest, Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees is a powerful story not simply about bees, but of coming-of-age, of the ability of love to transform our lives, and of the often unacknowledged longing for...

Written by Sue Monk Kidd the novel "The Secret Life of Bees" traces the life of a 14 year old girl searching for love and care. The story begins in a peach farm in Sylvan, South Carolina but travels toward and ends in Tiburon, South Carolina. The city of Tiburon unleashes many truths that lily has...

"The Secret Life Of Bees" Have you ever discovered something that changed everything you thought when you were growing up? Lily Owens did. In The Secret Life Of Bees though, she was in for a rude awakening. Throughout this story we follow Lily as she discovers things about her past as she sets out...

As humans, we tend to believe we are far superior to all other creatures, that we have nothing in common with anything thought of as ‘below us’. We are very wrong in thinking that. In the novel the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, it is proven that though we do have differences, we are not so...

Kathy Holcomb Prof. Robert Weber English 112 April 14, 2009 The Secret Life of Bees Critical Essay Sue Monk Kidd has carefully crafted a book rich in symbolism with special emphasis on bees. Each section’s heading features the inner workings of this communal society (Emanuel, Catherine, B. 3). An...

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Finding Her Queen "New beekeepers are told that the way to find the elusive queen is by first locating her circle of attendants. " (57) This quote is at the beginning of chapter three and not only foreshadows many things to come, but within the quote, two of the novel’s main metaphors are mentioned...

1 269 words

The Secret Life of Bees The Secret Life of Bees is a fantastic book for young adult readers. The text is not too difficult, but has moral values that can, and should be shared. The story revloves around a girl named Lily Owens, who runs away from her abusive father with her nanny. Lily is a...

In Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, August acts as the unorthodox religious leader of the Daughters of Mary and contributes to Lily’s character and growth. August proves to be a leader, and a positive influence towards Lily in every action she performs. She welcomes Lily, a white girl...

The Secret Life of Bees Essay “There is nothing perfect, there is only life,” is one of the most inspiring aphorisms that August uses in the book The Secret Life of Bees. August says this to Lily to teach her about life and how it is not perfect. This lesson is shown in many ways, one being when...

Secret Life of Bees Book Journal Chapter 1 Lily Owens is lying in her bed watching bees squeeze in and out of cracks in her walls. She thinks about her mother, who died when Lily was a child. She also thinks about Rosaleen, a black woman who looks after her and her father, T. Ray. When the bees...

5 646 words

I read “The Secret Life of Bees” and the main character is Lily Owens. Lily Owens is a 14 year old girl who runs away from her abusive father because he treats her very badly, and because he lies to her about her past. Lily’s mother died when she was just 3 years old, and Lily hardly remembers...

SECRET LIFE OF BEES – REVISION NOTES Central Characters Lily Melissa Owens Lily is a fourteen-year-old girl whose mother died when she was four years old, an accident that Lily feels she was responsible for. She dresses in clothes she made in home economics. She is not a popular person in school...

3 747 words

Some girls grow up without a mother, but they don’t know how lucky they are that they don’t have to live with the feeling of guilt and remorse that Lilly Owens has to live with everyday. Everyday, since the age of four, Lilly has to deal with the regret of killing her own mother, Deborah. On...

English 9- CPA 9/13/10 The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd “In a matter of seconds I knew exactly what I had to do-leave. I had to get away from T. Ray, who was probably on his way back this minute to do Lord-knows-what to me. ” (p. 41). When people come of age, they follow through with their...

"The Secret Life of Bees uses the Black Madonna as an important symbol of women leadership. As August tells Lily, "Our Lady is not some magical being out there somewhere, like a fairy godmother. She's not in the statue in the parlor. She's something inside you" (Kidd, 288). This statement is the...

Jackie Yets 3/21/11 Per. 6, English H2/SP Secret Life of Bees Research Paper While one reads the Sue Monk Kidd novel, The Secret Life of Bees, an enigma acquainted with the book is why the Black Madonna of Breznichar in Bohemia is used as opposed to a white Virgin Mary. With the story taking place...

Throughout maturity, women commonly experience hatred towards a number of different parts of life. Society sets high expectations for everyone, and when humans experience something against their morals they are often flooded with hatred. However, one must learn to hate in order to feel the true...

The Secret Life of Bees Assignment The Questioner Why did August paint the house pink? When may and August we're at the paint store May saw the colour and loved it August thought it was the tackiest color she had ever seen, but decided to paint the house pink because it made May happy. Why does...

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Essays on The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees is an important and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of family, race, and female empowerment. Writing an essay about this book can help you delve deeper into its meaning and significance.

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The secret life of bees.

• 1) The Secret Life of Bees explores the power of female relationships in overcoming adversity.

The Maternal Themes in "The Secret Life of Bees"

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Lily's Journey of Love, Awareness, and Remission in The Secret Life of Bees

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1964 Insights: an Argument Against The Use of a Different Era When Setting The Secret Life of Bees

The monomyth notion in the secret life of bees by kidd, a similarity of characters in two different books, symbolism in "the secret life of bees": unveiling deeper meanings.

November 8th 2001

Sue Monk Kidd

Historical Fiction

Lily Melissa Owens, T. Ray Owens, Deborah Fontanel Owens, Rosaleen Daise, August Boatwright, June Boatwright, May Boatwright, Zachary "Zach" Taylor, Neil, The Daughters of Mary

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The Secret Life of Bees Essay Examples

Analysis of lily’s change in the secret life of bees.

Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult,This continues through the teenage years causing them to undergo changes and with time, become more mature. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily is a teenage girl living in...

The Issue of Oppression in the Secret Life of Bees and the Help

Kanye West, one of the most influential artists in rap music, may not always express popular political views. However, West does have a statement towards oppression which others may agree upon: “All these walls that keep us from loving each other as one family or...

The Secret Life of Bees: Comparison of the Novel and the Movie

The Secret Life of Bees is a unique story that took place in 1964; a period where racism was a heavy topic in the United States. Lily Owens is a young girl whose life has been a hardship since her mother’s passing when she was...

The Theme of Self-acceptance in the Secret Life of Bees

In the novel The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, the author uses the change in Lily Owens as she works through accepting the guilt for accidentally killing her mother to support a theme of finding forgiveness and love for herself; it is...

Confidence, Courage, and Strength in the Secret Life of Bees

The novel entitled The Secret Life of Bees is a tale of a young girl’s enduring trials and tribulations in her life. The novel is a critically acclaimed best seller with a film adaptation to showcase this in a visual light. With a novel of...

Themes of Perseverance and Identity in the Secret Life of Bees

“The nation saw itself in the midst of a new war in Vietnam, and culture wars were being fought at home, with the civil rights movement escalating and new youth subcultures emerging that rejected the values of the past...Over the course of the decade, public...

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