“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 1-2 One of the deepest fears of mankind is that of uncertainty. Every morning, millions of questions are asked. And whether one has solved a simple algebraic equation or developed a new vaccine, the result brings tremendous joy and satisfaction for the person who posed the question. Not every question, however, has a clearly spelled out answer. On her journey to womanhood, Lily struggles to understand the identity of her mother and the uncertain circumstances of her death. At the same time, Rosaleen, Lily’s “stand in mother,” faces the uncertainty of the life ahead of her; a burden she has carried from the moment she was born of the black race. Rosaleen must now stand and fight for her chance at equal rights. Together, these vivacious women set off to calm their minds and soothe their hearts in the search for impossible answers concerning the forgotten past, as well as the mysterious future awaiting them.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 3-4 Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in its face.” In Lily’s eyes, Eleanor Roosevelt and Mother Nature were kindred spirits. In her fantasies of a private garden, Lily dreamt of a new beginning. And sure enough, with courage and a little fate, Lily finds herself in the home of August Boatwright, the local beekeeper. While looking at August’s black Mary statue, Lily unexpectedly experiences her first glance at fear in the face. She feels glory in her escape, and at the same time, shame for all her lies and fear for who she might become. The lies continue as Lily fails to mention the search for her mother’s past. A quick and harmless visit to the pink house, suddenly turns into room and board as well as a job for both Lily and Rosaleen. Realizing that her answered questions will not only shape her mother’s life, but will define her as well, Lily heads off to the rain-cleaned woods to prepare herself for an experience that will stay with her for a lifetime.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 5-6 Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? And why is Mary presumed to be white? From the beginning of recorded European history, white people have thought themselves to be superior to blacks. Naturally, if they are white, their savior, Jesus, along with his mother, Mary, are believed to be white as well. If the situation was reversed, however, and blacks were the predominant race, would Jesus and Mary be believed to be black too? Such questions pose an interesting dilemma. Are Jesus and Mary portrayed as they truly were, or are they what we make them? All of this considered, it is no surprise that Lily is puzzled to see a black Mary statue. Being white and from the South, a white Virgin Mother is all she’s ever known. What really upsets Lily, however, is the grudge June seems to hold against her. She says, “This was a great revelation- not that I was white but that it seemed like June did not want me here because of my skin color. I hadn’t known it was possible- to reject people for being white.” For the first time in her life, Lily feels like an outcast because she is white, and not colored like the rest of the Daughters of Mary. Both angry that she was belittled over her race, and ashamed of how certain members of her race were acting against the blacks, Lily turns to Mary, whether black or white, for strength in the coming days.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 7-8 Love is said to be a battlefield. To survive it, you must have dedication, determination, and drive. Lily’s mission to find motherly love is her toughest and most feared expedition. A strong-willed and stubborn young woman, not unlike an unassuming new recruit, she accepts the challenge. Like a soldier who longs for peace with his opposition, Lily longs for her father’s love and acceptance, even when he may be her enemy. When calling to ask him her favorite color, she is determined to prove his love. What she receives, however, is a bullet through the heart in the realization that he doesn’t love her and never will. Also, not unlike a soldier of the time, Lily finds herself faced with racial prejudice. Just as black soldiers were not able to fight next to white soldiers, Zach can never love Lily because of her skin color. Finally, just as soldiers face fears of possible disappointment and death, Lily faces the fear of truth. Will the identity of Lily’s mother meet her expectations or will she shatter the young girl’s heart? Whatever the outcome, Lily’s longing for love gives her the drive needed to move forward in her discovery.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 9-10 An anonymous author once wrote, “Someday is not a day of the week.” For Lily, this thought was finally coming clear. Biding her time at the beekeepers and waiting for her mother’s identity to just magically present itself, was just her fear getting the best of her. She says, “I was suspended, waiting, caught in a crevice between living my life and not living it.” The thought of someday learning about her mother’s love for her, was not enough. Coming clean was the only way to get her life back, no matter what consequences the truth might bring. Life, however, doesn’t always go according to plan, and Zach’s arrest keeps Lily from confessing her true intentions for coming to Tiburon. Mourning resulting from May’s unexpected death, seems to hinder Lily’s mission, yet again. May’s suicide note, however, has just the opposite effect. Instead of being seen as sad and despairing, it brings a sense of hope, reminding the sisters as well as Lily, that it is their time to live. With this advice, August gains new strength, June suddenly looks at Neil in a new light, and Lily is on the verge of opening the door to her secret life.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 11-12 August says it best, “There is nothing perfect. There is only life.” As humans beings, we know we are not perfect. From the moment of conception, sin is placed on our body through markings and in our spirit through original sin. This fact of imperfection, however, does not keep us from wanting to know and to be the ideal person. A mother, for instance, is a child’s image of perfection. She is the person who makes chocolate chip cookies and gives you the first bite. She’s the person who reads you bed time stories. And finally, she always knows how to make you better when your sick. While most children see this motherly image stand before them, Lily is forced to concoct her own image of a mother. Like for all children, however, there’s a time a to grow up, and for Lily, it involves asking the tough questions about her mother’s identity. This perfect vision is soon shattered as Lily learns of her mother’s abandonment from her family. Even with August insisting that her mother tried to come back for her, Lily struggles to understand her mother’s so-called love. Setting off to free her self from her secret life, Lily ends up breaking her dreams of her mother’s secret life; a life she prayed so desperately to be a perfect one.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 13-14 Lily’s definition of mother starts out as a shortsighted view of what her biological mother must have been like. What it turns into, however, is an endless line of love. From first hand experience, I can tell you that the title mother is often not what it seems. A woman can not gain such title from simply giving birth. Instead, she earns it through her actions and more importantly, through her love. Lily felt lost and unloved after learning of her mother’s abandonment. Overwhelmed with pain, she forgot to look around and see that she was the daughter of many. Rosaleen was her mother, caring for her since she was a child. August, June, and May were her mothers, providing her with hearth and home. All the Daughters of Mary were her mother, offering to defend her against T-Ray. And finally, the Virgin Mary was her mother. “A muscle of love” Lily thought. Love that could conquer anything, including bringing forgiveness to oneself, accepting one’s mother’s faults, and creating a new life as the beekeeper’s apprentice.
Didn't the passage of background information say that Antigone was a victim of Creon's hubris? Some of you are suggesting that Antigone is the tragic hero. Thoughts on that.
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“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 1-2
One of the deepest fears of mankind is that of uncertainty. Every morning, millions of questions are asked. And whether one has solved a simple algebraic equation or developed a new vaccine, the result brings tremendous joy and satisfaction for the person who posed the question. Not every question, however, has a clearly spelled out answer. On her journey to womanhood, Lily struggles to understand the identity of her mother and the uncertain circumstances of her death. At the same time, Rosaleen, Lily’s “stand in mother,” faces the uncertainty of the life ahead of her; a burden she has carried from the moment she was born of the black race. Rosaleen must now stand and fight for her chance at equal rights. Together, these vivacious women set off to calm their minds and soothe their hearts in the search for impossible answers concerning the forgotten past, as well as the mysterious future awaiting them.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 3-4
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in its face.” In Lily’s eyes, Eleanor Roosevelt and Mother Nature were kindred spirits. In her fantasies of a private garden, Lily dreamt of a new beginning. And sure enough, with courage and a little fate, Lily finds herself in the home of August Boatwright, the local beekeeper. While looking at August’s black Mary statue, Lily unexpectedly experiences her first glance at fear in the face. She feels glory in her escape, and at the same time, shame for all her lies and fear for who she might become. The lies continue as Lily fails to mention the search for her mother’s past. A quick and harmless visit to the pink house, suddenly turns into room and board as well as a job for both Lily and Rosaleen. Realizing that her answered questions will not only shape her mother’s life, but will define her as well, Lily heads off to the rain-cleaned woods to prepare herself for an experience that will stay with her for a lifetime.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 5-6
Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? And why is Mary presumed to be white? From the beginning of recorded European history, white people have thought themselves to be superior to blacks. Naturally, if they are white, their savior, Jesus, along with his mother, Mary, are believed to be white as well. If the situation was reversed, however, and blacks were the predominant race, would Jesus and Mary be believed to be black too? Such questions pose an interesting dilemma. Are Jesus and Mary portrayed as they truly were, or are they what we make them? All of this considered, it is no surprise that Lily is puzzled to see a black Mary statue. Being white and from the South, a white Virgin Mother is all she’s ever known. What really upsets Lily, however, is the grudge June seems to hold against her. She says, “This was a great revelation- not that I was white but that it seemed like June did not want me here because of my skin color. I hadn’t known it was possible- to reject people for being white.” For the first time in her life, Lily feels like an outcast because she is white, and not colored like the rest of the Daughters of Mary. Both angry that she was belittled over her race, and ashamed of how certain members of her race were acting against the blacks, Lily turns to Mary, whether black or white, for strength in the coming days.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 7-8
Love is said to be a battlefield. To survive it, you must have dedication, determination, and drive. Lily’s mission to find motherly love is her toughest and most feared expedition. A strong-willed and stubborn young woman, not unlike an unassuming new recruit, she accepts the challenge. Like a soldier who longs for peace with his opposition, Lily longs for her father’s love and acceptance, even when he may be her enemy. When calling to ask him her favorite color, she is determined to prove his love. What she receives, however, is a bullet through the heart in the realization that he doesn’t love her and never will. Also, not unlike a soldier of the time, Lily finds herself faced with racial prejudice. Just as black soldiers were not able to fight next to white soldiers, Zach can never love Lily because of her skin color. Finally, just as soldiers face fears of possible disappointment and death, Lily faces the fear of truth. Will the identity of Lily’s mother meet her expectations or will she shatter the young girl’s heart? Whatever the outcome, Lily’s longing for love gives her the drive needed to move forward in her discovery.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 9-10
An anonymous author once wrote, “Someday is not a day of the week.” For Lily, this thought was finally coming clear. Biding her time at the beekeepers and waiting for her mother’s identity to just magically present itself, was just her fear getting the best of her. She says, “I was suspended, waiting, caught in a crevice between living my life and not living it.” The thought of someday learning about her mother’s love for her, was not enough. Coming clean was the only way to get her life back, no matter what consequences the truth might bring. Life, however, doesn’t always go according to plan, and Zach’s arrest keeps Lily from confessing her true intentions for coming to Tiburon. Mourning resulting from May’s unexpected death, seems to hinder Lily’s mission, yet again. May’s suicide note, however, has just the opposite effect. Instead of being seen as sad and despairing, it brings a sense of hope, reminding the sisters as well as Lily, that it is their time to live. With this advice, August gains new strength, June suddenly looks at Neil in a new light, and Lily is on the verge of opening the door to her secret life.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 11-12
August says it best, “There is nothing perfect. There is only life.” As humans beings, we know we are not perfect. From the moment of conception, sin is placed on our body through markings and in our spirit through original sin. This fact of imperfection, however, does not keep us from wanting to know and to be the ideal person. A mother, for instance, is a child’s image of perfection. She is the person who makes chocolate chip cookies and gives you the first bite. She’s the person who reads you bed time stories. And finally, she always knows how to make you better when your sick. While most children see this motherly image stand before them, Lily is forced to concoct her own image of a mother. Like for all children, however, there’s a time a to grow up, and for Lily, it involves asking the tough questions about her mother’s identity. This perfect vision is soon shattered as Lily learns of her mother’s abandonment from her family. Even with August insisting that her mother tried to come back for her, Lily struggles to understand her mother’s so-called love. Setting off to free her self from her secret life, Lily ends up breaking her dreams of her mother’s secret life; a life she prayed so desperately to be a perfect one.
“The Secret Life of Bees” Chapters 13-14
Lily’s definition of mother starts out as a shortsighted view of what her biological mother must have been like. What it turns into, however, is an endless line of love. From first hand experience, I can tell you that the title mother is often not what it seems. A woman can not gain such title from simply giving birth. Instead, she earns it through her actions and more importantly, through her love. Lily felt lost and unloved after learning of her mother’s abandonment. Overwhelmed with pain, she forgot to look around and see that she was the daughter of many. Rosaleen was her mother, caring for her since she was a child. August, June, and May were her mothers, providing her with hearth and home. All the Daughters of Mary were her mother, offering to defend her against T-Ray. And finally, the Virgin Mary was her mother. “A muscle of love” Lily thought. Love that could conquer anything, including bringing forgiveness to oneself, accepting one’s mother’s faults, and creating a new life as the beekeeper’s apprentice.
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