In society, women are often deprived of their rights and viewed as the inferior sex. The Secret Life of Bees is a novel written by Sue Monk Kidd that follows the life of a teenage girl in South Carolina named Lily Owens. An Education is a film directed by Lone Scherfig that is about a teenage schoolgirl named Jenny Mellor who lives in London. Despite the difference in their geographic location, the women in both the novel and the film showed how strong women can be. Gender stereotypes influence the public’s view and opinion of women but through The Secret Life of Bees and An Education, it is evident that women can defy these standards. Women are strong and independent individuals because contrary to popular belief, they can provide for …show more content…
In The Secret Life of Bees, August and the other Boatwright sisters stood out because they ran a honey business, defying gender roles. August, June, and May ran a business rather than being stereotypical housewives. They did not let the fact that they were black women stop them from continuing their business. They made some of the best honey and supplied the town of Tiburon with their products. They were strong and did not let the opinions of others stop them from running their own business. In An Education, the educators were women and shaped the lives of the children. The movie is centered on a schoolgirl who attends school to be educated. Without these female educators, many people would not receive an education. They encouraged the girls to learn and study to have a great career. Although Jenny was distracted by David, she eventually returned to study and ended up going to Oxford. To get there, she approached Miss Stubbs. Without her, Jenny may not have gotten to Oxford and her life may have been ruined. It was the assistance of her teacher that brought her to university. From there, she could have a great profession and change the lives of others. Communities are enhanced when women are given the opportunity to