Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life Of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd tells the story of Lily Owen's life in the summer at the age of fourteen. Lily has quite the difficult lifestyle, as her mom died when Lily was four years old, and her father, T. Ray, was not loving towards her and rather abusive. But, Lily is close to her maid and surrogate mother, Rosaleen. Her and Rosaleen find a way to escape from T. Ray, and from there on, Lily finds true happiness living with her new "mothers." Sue Monk Kidd pulls her audience into the story by her writing style and the devices she uses. By using symbolism, imagery, and allegory, Kidd portrays the inspiring and courageous life of Lily Owens. An ongoing theme in The Secret Life of Bees is the power of women loving each other and femininity. Because Lily lacks a true mother figure in her life, she looks at Rosaleen, June, and August as her mothers. August makes a connection with

Kidd draws a connection between bees and humans, using bees to present a greater meaning throughout the book. When August is teaching Kidd about bees and honey, August says, "Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved." Although August may only be teaching Lily about bees, her advice is applicable to human relationships as well. Earlier in the novel, Lily also catches bees in a jar, which she relates to her own life at home with T. Ray. In chapter two she says, "But I had such a moment right then, standing in my own ordinary room. I heard a voice say, Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open." She was ready to be free from her "jar", just as she let the bees free from their jar. The "bees" are the women in the novel. This allegory creates a deeper meaning behind the bees and the story of her mother's life when Lily was a young