Segregation In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life Of Bees

Separated for the Worse

From religion to health care, segregation has impacts on everything within our daily lives. It divides communities and physically and mentally hurts those involved. In Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, segregation leads to devastating consequences such as violence, the separation of loved ones, as well as unfair and unequal treatment between races. Firstly, segregation leads to violence within communities. To start, white men make racist comments towards Rosaleen on her way to town, but she takes a stand. When they come “alongside the men, Rosaleen lifted her snuff jug, which was filled with black spit and calmly poured it across the tops of the man’s shoes” (Kidd 32). Rosaleen doing this shows how

To start, Lily and Rosaleen stop at church but are quickly told to leave because of Rosaleen’s colour. Lily realises how insignificant race is when she forgets “the rules. She was not supposed to be inside here. Every time a rumor got going about a group of Negroes coming to worship with us on Sunday morning, the deacons stood locked-arms across the church steps to turn them away.” (Kidd 30). Rosaleen not being able to do something as simple as worshiping the same way whites do shows unfair rules. It proves these boundaries are just because of colour, this inequality causes devastating religious consequences. Secondly, while in the hospital the whites receive prime treatment compared to Rosaleen. When Lily goes to visit she sees “Air conditioners poked out from the windows in the white section, but back here there was nothing but electric fans moving the hot air from one place to another.” (Kidd 45). The fact that blacks do not even get air conditioners hints towards the different levels of care based on race. The lack of attention coloured patients receive could even lead to devastating, life threatening consequences. Lastly, as Lily and Rosaleen search for a place to stay they are turned away due to Rosaleen’s colour. She then explains to Lily that “there ain't gonna be any place that will take a coloured woman. I don’t care if she’s the Virgin Mary, nobody’s letting her stay if she’s coloured.” (Kidd 60). This once again shows how treatment varies for different races. It proves that people would rather see a coloured person homeless than staying on their property. Overall, this shows how segregation creates unfair rules leading to devastating