Though being educated is a key part of survival, specifically for Little Bee, a character thought up by Chris Cleave, those who are struggling to get by emotionally have to look for more than just the typical way out. Within the novel Little Bee, though the main character, also the namesake of the book, has always utilized her intelligence to get out of situations by adapting to the cultures and the context around her, she understands that it doesn’t always work. As the story progresses, Little Bee and Sarah must work together to find peace of mind. The two realize that they can’t go on living the way they have been and need to find new ways to cope and find themselves, rather than letting others influence decisions. Sarah, instead of simply defying what …show more content…
Little Bee reflects on her past self, remembering her sister and decides that “life is extremely short and [one] cannot dance to current affairs”, the way she always tried to in the past (Cleave 133). Little Bee, though still acknowledging the magnitude of being smart and aware of the outside world, is now seeing a new light. In order to survive, she and Sarah must start finding their respective ‘music’. Symbolism then takes place, perpetuating their need to survive in the vast sea of troubles that wash over them. The two relate to each other, as Little Bee compares “trouble… [to] the ocean [which] covers two-thirds of the world”, just as Sarah previously saw Andrew as covering the ocean, which she admitted was covering most of the world (Cleave 138). The ocean is meant to represent an enormous area, spread out in Sarah’s mind. Because Sarah originally saw Andrew as the enormous span of water, finding its way through and seeping into Sarah’s mind, when Little Bee announces that the ocean consists of troubled waters, she suddenly clings to this. She has a sudden epiphany that Andrew, though