The Secrete Life of Bees

Dustin Gagen

From the novel "The Secrete Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd, comes Lilly an amazingly interesting teenager. I think her being an only child and living with T. Ray made her very different, in the aspects of her being very quite and not talking to anyone except Rosaleen. I think her drive to find out who her mother really was and what actually happened to her really made Lilly different form the rest.

In the beginning when she was just lying in her bed listening to the bees I think foreshadowed her going to live on honey harvesting farm. I believe Rosaleen gave Lilly the strength to be different, because Rosaleen herself wasn't one to fallow the rules. Lilly's courage to sneak away from home and then break Rosaleen out of the hospital was amazing, I think it really showed her lover for Rosaleen. When they reached Tiburon and got to Augusts house Lilly's ability to make up a some what believable story was very remarkable. I think that how August just took Lilly and Rosaleen in was foreshadowing that August knew who Lilly was and knew her mother. I believe Zach's part in the story was to so that Lilly really was a pretty girl if you got to know her, to give her a boost of confidence about herself. I think it was very interesting in the end that August was Lilly's mother's keeper and now she was Lilly's. How August waits till Lilly comes out and tells her what she has done and what and how exactly she came to her house is very mother like of August. Lilly finding out all about her mother and the true story of her was able to settler her down. She no longer had to live lies and could close that empty spot about her mother which she had lived with her whole life.

Lilly was very lucky to have Rosaleen with her, to help her and give her strength along the way. The deal with Lilly being white and all the sisters, Zach and Rosaleen being black I believe is one of the most powerful concepts from the novel. To show how they can live together and help one another through life problems.