Written in a way almost unique to other writers, Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees allows readers to escape into a world of love and comfort that can only be found within the Boatwright sisters and the Daughters of Mary. Representing a society of women that so differs from what Lily has previously known, having been surrounded by a culture with no regard for women and having hardly any understanding of her female potential, August and her circle open up Lily to a whole nother world of possibilities. Their doting on Lily, despite the racial divide, and lessons on the Black Mary fill in the maternal gap left by her own deceased mother, Deborah. It is because of her essential escape from Sylvan and T-Ray’s oppressive attitude, to the welcoming Boatwright clan, that Lily is able to make something new of herself and open …show more content…
The female love and comfort that exists within the group is threatened by the coexistence of men. Zach and Otis being the notable exceptions in the novel, Kidd portrays men as detrimental to the functioning of the group and harmful in their attitude, both mentally and physically. It is men, such as T-Ray, that speak lies and inhibit personal growth that are Lily’s very reasons for fleeing towards the warmth of August’s society of women and it’s this same group that protects Lily in her later confrontation with T-Ray with the power of the female group proving victorious in the end, showcasing the strength and power that is possible when women unite: “'Good riddance,' he [T-Ray] said, and moved toward the door. We had to open up our little wall of women to let him through.” When questioned on her refusal to marry, August cites her love of her freedom as effective reason. This is important in that it shows Kidd’s support for a society of women void of men, believing them to be inhibitors of freedom and opponents to female