Professor Christine Specht
LIT/GNS 5107
25 July 2008
The Secret Life of Bees
This novel showed us parallels between the insect world and our own human society. The history of bees shows how they have a division of labor workers that extends to the leadership of the colony. It also shows the ingenius structure of their hives and the order in which the colonies function. I think that it was unfortunate that Lily had to be living in the time of the civil rights movement when there was so much racial tension. Lily was a young girl who had been holding on to the thought that her mother was a person who loved her, when in fact later in the novel she discovers that she probably was not wanted by her mother. I can not imagine what it feels like to be abandoned by your mother and being told by your father that your mother left you and was basically no good. If she did not have Rosaleen in her life I don't think she would ever have made that journey to Tiburon, South Carolina. Rosaleen was portrayed as the typical African American woman in the south who was tired of the racism. and thought if she exercised her right to register to vote, that this would make a difference. I think when Lily saw what the three racists men did to Rosaleen and when she was put in jail and T. Ray not getting her out, this set the wheels in motion for her to seek a different life. T. Ray was a typical man who was bitter because Deborah left him. I do believe that men are not as forgiving when a woman makes a mistake to challenge their manhood. I felt he took out his anger and bitterness out on Lily, because she looked just like her mother. I thought it was wrong for him to allow Lily to think she killed her mother, when in essence it was an accident. I guess this shows the hatred that a person can harbor within. He tried to hurt her spirit by telling her that her mother left her because he saw how Lily had worshipped the imageof her mother. I thought it was very interesting about the role of the Black Madonna, despite there being churches in the city. These black statues had a lot of influence on the people in this region, more so than the doctrines of the church. I felt that this figure gave the people a lot of hope and courage, and when reading the novel you could actually place yourself and feel what these individuals were feeling.
Mims 2
When Lily busted Rosaleen out of jail and they was on their journey to an unknown place, I was quite taken on Lily's drive to find the missing links to the puzzle of her mother. She had to lead a life of deception which she thought would not reveal itself. In here journey she has discovered new feelings that she had not experienced before. She became attracted to a African American man at the home of Autumn. She knew that it was taboo to have such feelings about an individual who was not even thought of as a man or anything human. This had to be painful. to want something so bad that is forbidden to you. My instincts told me that May was going to commit suicide. When I read she was a twin, and the description of how they both encountered the same feelings, lead me to the assumption that since one twin died the other would follow. The other 2 sisters felt that they really could not live the life they wanted to live as long as they had to take care of May. This novel has so many metaphors it is hard to talk about all of them. There were a lot of lessons about life, the power of unity, looking at nature for guidance, even the spiritual aspect of things. The journey of a young girl, who suffered loss, shame, and trying to come it her own identity. She was able to see how people give pain, are callous and insensitve. Through all this, Lily was able to see the power of healing and how it fills the emptiness you experience. I think the hardest lesson for her was learning to forgive herself, because I don't think she could or would ever forgive her mother for leaving her. A child cannot comprehend how a mother who is suppose to love unconditionally, could do this unspeakable thing. In the novel it was hard for Lily to come to the realization that T. Ray was right about her mother, this was the other half of the bitter pill she had to swallow. It is hard to accept criticism from such a callous individual but later to find out that what they were saying is the truth is like a slap in the face. I am happy the story ended on a happy note, I thought that Lily would have to go back to T. Ray which would have continued to be misery for her.
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3 comments:
I agree with so many of the points you have brought up. I think T. Ray took his anger out on Lily because of her resemblence to her mother. I do wonder if Lily was the one who accidentally killed Deborah. I think it was T. Ray but he framed Lily so he would ot go to jail. I agree with you that the hardest task for Lily was to forgive herself. I think this is a difficult thing for anyone to do as an adult, let alone as a child. Everyone makes mistakes but forgiving themselves for them is very difficult.
I agree as well with the comments about T. Ray taking out his anger on Lily for simply looking (and possibly acting) like her mother. Rejection is something that brings out the worst possible emotional reaction; whether that be anger, resentment, fear, or sadness. While T. Ray was wrong in his actions, he was not strong enough to overcome his own emotions enough to be a good parent. Lily provided a constant reminder of the past he was trying to forget.
I agree with your ideas about T. Ray. I thought the moment when T.Ray say the whale pin said a lot about him and his pain. He is a terrible father who does not see beyond his own pain and the everyday reminders he has of that pain. Lily, when she writes the letter to him, demonstrated a healthier way to deal with that pain.
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