Have you ever thought about what was needed to properly grow up? Do you think of money or wealth? The novels The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, and Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, prove that these previous notions are false. The key to successfully growing up is love, family, and smart thinking. The Juliet from Romeo and Juliet does not know how to make correct decisions, and her family does not support her. This is clear in the novel and becomes an example of how you cannot rush development. Unlike Juliet, August, from The Secret Life of Bees, supports, loves, and teaches Lilly about life. Juliet’s family and other conflict caused Juliet to mature quickly, make big decisions, and be brave for the first time in her life. …show more content…
Lily had an empty hole in her heart where love was supposed to be. This lack of love made it difficult for her to love or trust others. Lily needs to learn to love and trust, and August helps her do that. Even though Lilly did not realize it, August acted as her mother. This allowed Lilly to have the nurturing care she needed so badly. August Boatright said to Lilly, “It hurts, I know it does. Let it out. Just let it out,” (Kidd 238). This shows how she was even though August was strict, she always had an open heart for Lilly to come to. August allowed Lilly to discover her thoughts and beliefs instead of telling her everything she wanted to her, especially about her mother. August was the experience that Lilly needed to grow up. Part of growing up finding yourself. Lilly learned many lessons from August, but the biggest one was women’s power. August showed Lilly that to be a woman you do not need to be married or need to have a man in charge of you. This idea was radical to Lilly since her father oppressed her. This lesson indicated that she did not have to be fearful of her father. August also posed as a confident, mature, female figure in which Lilly could look up to. The last moral that August taught Lilly is that things do not always come easy. August explained to Lilly that not everything is perfect in her life, but that does not mean that she should throw it