This story grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I come from a very well-rounded and loving family, so it is difficult for me to relate to the main character. I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like living under the circumstances that Lily is forced to endure. Reading about Lily and her troubles helps me to better appreciate my own life. I have always known that I am very fortunate, but this novel aids in putting my life into perspective. When I first started reading this novel I wondered why each chapter began with a short quote about bees. After further reading, I discovered that each quote hints at what the corresponding chapter is about. The life of the bees seems to be very similar to Lily’s. I predict that throughout the entire novel, Lily will learn many lessons from the bees. With an open mind, all people can apply these lessons to their everyday lives. Many people would benefit tremendously by accepting this philosophy.
This section of the novel is mostly about Lily adapting to her new life. Chapter three starts out with Lily and Rosaleen waking up by the creek. They continued on their journey in the direction of Tiburon. Lily went into a store to buy food. She had to steal snuff for Rosaleen and lie to the cashier so that he would not suspect her. Lily felt herself changing. She was beginning to lie and manipulate others more often. In chapter four, Lily and Rosaleen arrived at August Boatwright’s house. August and her sisters June and May took them in and gave them a home. Lily helped August with the bee hives and Rosaleen helped May around the house. The two gradually grew more comfortable with their new home. Although it was extremely different from their previous way of life, Lily and Rosaleen went along everything that the sisters did. I was pleased to see that Lily finally seemed truly happy with her new life.
Love is a very important theme in this section of the novel. Chapter six starts out with June’s love for Neil. He has been around June for a long time. They both love each other, but June refuses to marry him. She was engaged to be married long before she met Neil. Unfortunately, June’s fiancé never showed up for the wedding. She swore that she would never get married, and it seems like there is nothing that Neil can do to change June’s mind. It is a sad situation because Neil cannot wait around forever, but June cannot commit herself to him. I think that June will either have to set aside her fears and marry Neil, or she must learn to be lonely. Chapter seven is about the young love between Lily and Zach. The two enjoy being around each other and they know that there is something special between them. Sadly, their love seems doomed, just like June and Neil’s. They know that it will be difficult for them to be together because of their racial differences. This section is all about tragic love. I hope that in the end these couples will be able to overcome the obstacles that stand between them.
These two chapters contain many important events, but when I was reading this section I focused most of my attention on a few suttle details. On page 148, August and Lily were listening to the bees while they “airconditioned” their hive. Augst said that the bees have a secret life that people don’t even know about. I am still trying to figure out the siginficance of their secret life. August went on to tell about the roles of each bee. When she described the queen, and called her the mother of thousands, Lily immediately connected her with Mary. I think that this may be the reason Sue Monk Kidd centers her novel around bees. Lily gains strength through the Virgin Mother present among the bees. She had glued a picture of the black Mary to the front of her shirt. On page 152 this picture began to peel off. I believe that this was forshadowing the fact that Lily would soon be forced to leave the house. Mary would eventually stop hiding her from T. Ray and the rest of the world. Proof of this comes in chapter nine. When Lily finally decided to tell August the truth about her past, she had to wait for a guest to leave. Instead she rode to town with Zach. There he had an argument with some white men and he was sent to jail. When May heard about Zach she had a huge breakdown. Lily’s life at August’s house seemed to be coming unglued, just like the picture of Mary on the front of her shirt.
While reading chapters ten and eleven, I focused most of my attention on the quotes concerning the lives of bees. I paid extra attention to the way that the quotes went along with the story. The quote beginning chapter ten talked about the lifespan of bees. Their life expectancy is extremely short, and many bees die before they even reach old age. Immediately after reading the quote I knew that one of the characters in the novel was going to die. My first guess was Zach. He had been arrested and I thought that the white men were going to return and kill him. Instead, May was the one who died. I never would have guessed it, but I should have known. Many things in the novel foreshadowed her death, the most obvious being the quote about the bees. The tragedy of May’s twin, April, also hinted at May’s sorrowful end. Both April and May committed suicide because they could no longer bear the evil that they knew was present in the world. The bee quote for chapter eleven emphasizes the relentless efforts of the bees to make honey. Just like the bees, many of the characters had to persevere to reach their goals. Neil never gave up trying to win June's heart. After caring about her and waiting for so long, she finally agreed marry him. Zach and Lily had feelings for one another for a long time. They knew that they couldn’t be together right away, but they decided to wait around for each other. Lily wanted to tell August about her real past. Zach’s arrest and May’s death postponed her first attempt. Even so, she kept looking for opportunities to talk to August. Lily never allowed herself to change her mind about coming clean. Many of the characters were faced with problems that they had to deal with. Just like the bees, after hard work and perseverance they overcame many of their obstacles.
Chapter twelve opens with an entire paragraph about waiting. Lily named off different things that she had waited for. She waited to tell her secret to August, and to be accepted by the girls at school. She waited for T. Ray to transform and show her that he loved her. She also waited for a sign that her mother loved her. All of these things were testing her patience. My grandmother always says that patience is a virtue, and I think that this book can help people to recognize that fact. Lily waited around for August in her room. When August finally arrived, Lily spilled her whole story. In return, August told Lily all about her mother. Chapter thirteen is mostly about Lily coping with the new things she had learned about her mother’s past. August gave Lily a box of items that her mother had owned. One of the items was as picture of Lily and her mother in which she really seemed to care about Lily. Lily believed that the picture was a sign from heaven that her mother really did love her.
The last section of this book contains a very interesting quote. On page 276, Sue Monk Kidd wrote, “People, in general, would rather die than forgive.” She said this to emphasize how difficult it was for Lily to forgive those who had wronged her. She struggled in forgiving her mother, T. Ray, and even herself. This idea is something that I can relate to. I know how hard it is to forgive people, and I think that the level of difficulty is very interesting. Forgiveness is one of the many virtues that the author preaches about to her readers. The main focus of this novel is motherhood. Lily’s life was very different from the lives of many others because she had no mother. Lily’s relationship with her mother was very unique. In regards to her mother, Lily felt guilt, longing, hatred, and finally acceptance. Lily lost her mother when she ran away from her daughter and husband. On the same day she lost her father. At the end of the novel Lily realized that she could never return home and live with T. Ray. She decided to stay at August’s house and live with her where she knew that she had many different mothers to take care of her.
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.
7 comments:
The Secret Life of Bees
Chapters 1 & 2
This story grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I come from a very well-rounded and loving family, so it is difficult for me to relate to the main character. I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like living under the circumstances that Lily is forced to endure. Reading about Lily and her troubles helps me to better appreciate my own life. I have always known that I am very fortunate, but this novel aids in putting my life into perspective.
When I first started reading this novel I wondered why each chapter began with a short quote about bees. After further reading, I discovered that each quote hints at what the corresponding chapter is about. The life of the bees seems to be very similar to Lily’s. I predict that throughout the entire novel, Lily will learn many lessons from the bees. With an open mind, all people can apply these lessons to their everyday lives. Many people would benefit tremendously by accepting this philosophy.
Chapters 3, 4, & 5
This section of the novel is mostly about Lily adapting to her new life. Chapter three starts out with Lily and Rosaleen waking up by the creek. They continued on their journey in the direction of Tiburon. Lily went into a store to buy food. She had to steal snuff for Rosaleen and lie to the cashier so that he would not suspect her. Lily felt herself changing. She was beginning to lie and manipulate others more often. In chapter four, Lily and Rosaleen arrived at August Boatwright’s house. August and her sisters June and May took them in and gave them a home. Lily helped August with the bee hives and Rosaleen helped May around the house. The two gradually grew more comfortable with their new home. Although it was extremely different from their previous way of life, Lily and Rosaleen went along everything that the sisters did. I was pleased to see that Lily finally seemed truly happy with her new life.
Chapters 6 &7
Love is a very important theme in this section of the novel. Chapter six starts out with June’s love for Neil. He has been around June for a long time. They both love each other, but June refuses to marry him. She was engaged to be married long before she met Neil. Unfortunately, June’s fiancé never showed up for the wedding. She swore that she would never get married, and it seems like there is nothing that Neil can do to change June’s mind. It is a sad situation because Neil cannot wait around forever, but June cannot commit herself to him. I think that June will either have to set aside her fears and marry Neil, or she must learn to be lonely.
Chapter seven is about the young love between Lily and Zach. The two enjoy being around each other and they know that there is something special between them. Sadly, their love seems doomed, just like June and Neil’s. They know that it will be difficult for them to be together because of their racial differences. This section is all about tragic love. I hope that in the end these couples will be able to overcome the obstacles that stand between them.
Chapter 8 & 9
These two chapters contain many important events, but when I was reading this section I focused most of my attention on a few suttle details. On page 148, August and Lily were listening to the bees while they “airconditioned” their hive. Augst said that the bees have a secret life that people don’t even know about. I am still trying to figure out the siginficance of their secret life. August went on to tell about the roles of each bee. When she described the queen, and called her the mother of thousands, Lily immediately connected her with Mary. I think that this may be the reason Sue Monk Kidd centers her novel around bees.
Lily gains strength through the Virgin Mother present among the bees. She had glued a picture of the black Mary to the front of her shirt. On page 152 this picture began to peel off. I believe that this was forshadowing the fact that Lily would soon be forced to leave the house. Mary would eventually stop hiding her from T. Ray and the rest of the world. Proof of this comes in chapter nine. When Lily finally decided to tell August the truth about her past, she had to wait for a guest to leave. Instead she rode to town with Zach. There he had an argument with some white men and he was sent to jail. When May heard about Zach she had a huge breakdown. Lily’s life at August’s house seemed to be coming unglued, just like the picture of Mary on the front of her shirt.
Chapters 9 & 10
While reading chapters ten and eleven, I focused most of my attention on the quotes concerning the lives of bees. I paid extra attention to the way that the quotes went along with the story. The quote beginning chapter ten talked about the lifespan of bees. Their life expectancy is extremely short, and many bees die before they even reach old age. Immediately after reading the quote I knew that one of the characters in the novel was going to die. My first guess was Zach. He had been arrested and I thought that the white men were going to return and kill him. Instead, May was the one who died. I never would have guessed it, but I should have known. Many things in the novel foreshadowed her death, the most obvious being the quote about the bees. The tragedy of May’s twin, April, also hinted at May’s sorrowful end. Both April and May committed suicide because they could no longer bear the evil that they knew was present in the world.
The bee quote for chapter eleven emphasizes the relentless efforts of the bees to make honey. Just like the bees, many of the characters had to persevere to reach their goals. Neil never gave up trying to win June's heart. After caring about her and waiting for so long, she finally agreed marry him. Zach and Lily had feelings for one another for a long time. They knew that they couldn’t be together right away, but they decided to wait around for each other. Lily wanted to tell August about her real past. Zach’s arrest and May’s death postponed her first attempt. Even so, she kept looking for opportunities to talk to August. Lily never allowed herself to change her mind about coming clean. Many of the characters were faced with problems that they had to deal with. Just like the bees, after hard work and perseverance they overcame many of their obstacles.
Chapters 12 & 13
Chapter twelve opens with an entire paragraph about waiting. Lily named off different things that she had waited for. She waited to tell her secret to August, and to be accepted by the girls at school. She waited for T. Ray to transform and show her that he loved her. She also waited for a sign that her mother loved her. All of these things were testing her patience. My grandmother always says that patience is a virtue, and I think that this book can help people to recognize that fact. Lily waited around for August in her room. When August finally arrived, Lily spilled her whole story. In return, August told Lily all about her mother. Chapter thirteen is mostly about Lily coping with the new things she had learned about her mother’s past. August gave Lily a box of items that her mother had owned. One of the items was as picture of Lily and her mother in which she really seemed to care about Lily. Lily believed that the picture was a sign from heaven that her mother really did love her.
Chapter 14
The last section of this book contains a very interesting quote. On page 276, Sue Monk Kidd wrote, “People, in general, would rather die than forgive.” She said this to emphasize how difficult it was for Lily to forgive those who had wronged her. She struggled in forgiving her mother, T. Ray, and even herself. This idea is something that I can relate to. I know how hard it is to forgive people, and I think that the level of difficulty is very interesting. Forgiveness is one of the many virtues that the author preaches about to her readers.
The main focus of this novel is motherhood. Lily’s life was very different from the lives of many others because she had no mother. Lily’s relationship with her mother was very unique. In regards to her mother, Lily felt guilt, longing, hatred, and finally acceptance. Lily lost her mother when she ran away from her daughter and husband. On the same day she lost her father. At the end of the novel Lily realized that she could never return home and live with T. Ray. She decided to stay at August’s house and live with her where she knew that she had many different mothers to take care of her.
Post a Comment