The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
"The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd is a coming-of-age novel set in the racially charged environment of South Carolina during the summer of 1964. The story follows Lily Owens, a fourteen-year-old white girl grappling with the trauma of her mother's death and her abusive relationship with her father, T. Ray Owens. Accompanied by Rosaleen, her African American caretaker and friend, Lily embarks on a journey to Tiburon in search of her mother’s past, motivated by a desire for connection and understanding.
In Tiburon, they encounter the Boatwright sisters—August, June, and May—who run a successful beekeeping business and have created a nurturing community around their faith, specifically through a group called the Daughters of Mary. As Lily learns about beekeeping, she also discovers deeper truths about love, loss, and forgiveness, navigating her complex feelings toward her mother and her own identity. The relationships Lily forms with the Boatwright sisters and her friendship with Zach, an African American boy, challenge her perceptions of race and acceptance during a time of social upheaval.
Through themes of maternal bonds, racial tension, and personal growth, the novel ultimately portrays a journey toward self-discovery and the healing power of community. "The Secret Life of Bees" is not only a story of personal redemption but also a reflection on the interwoven lives of individuals from different backgrounds, highlighting the significance of empathy and understanding in overcoming adversity.
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Subject Terms
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
- Born: August 12, 1948
- Birthplace: Sylvester, Georgia
First published: 2002
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Bildungsroman
Time of plot: Summer of 1964
Locale: Sylvan and Tiburon, South Carolina
Principal Characters
Lily Owens, a fourteen-year-old white girl who narrates the story
T. Ray Owens, her father, a peach farmer in Sylvan, South Carolina
Deborah Fontanel Owens, her mother, who died when Lily was four years old
Rosaleen Daise, an African American woman who works as a housekeeper for T. Ray Owens
August Boatwright, an African American beekeeper who lives in Tiburon, South Carolina, with her two sisters
June Boatwright, August’s sister who teaches in an African American school
May Boatwright, August’s sister who has been emotionally scarred by a tragedy in her youth
Zachary Lincoln Taylor, a bright African American high school student who works for August
Clayton Forrester, a white lawyer who is a friend of the Boatwright sisters and a mentor to Zach
The Story
In the summer of 1964, Lily Owens lives a lonely unhappy life on a peach farm outside of Sylvan, South Carolina. Her father, T. Ray Owens, is a mean angry man who threatens and strikes her. When Lily was four years old, her mother was killed while fighting with her father. Years later, her father told her that she had picked up a pistol her mother had dropped. The gun went off, killing her mother. Lily struggles with longings for her mother, her desire to know more about her, and her feelings of guilt about the accident.
On her fourteenth birthday, Lily walks to town with Rosaleen, her father’s African American housekeeper who has helped to raise her. Rosaleen has come up with a plan to register to vote. However, in a racially heated confrontation, three white men beat her severely. She is arrested for her part in the altercation. Lily decides that she and Rosaleen should run away; she succeeds in helping Rosaleen escape from the hospital where she is being held under police guard.
Lily treasures a few things that had belonged to her mother, including a small wooden plaque with a picture of an African American woman and the words Tiburon, S.C. on the back. She resolves that they should go to Tiburon in the hope that she might learn more about her mother.
In a Tiburon store, Lily notices jars of Black Madonna honey; their labels display the same picture that is on her mother’s plaque. This discovery leads her to a local beekeeper, August Boatwright, and August’s sisters, June and May. Afraid to reveal her true situation, Lily tells them she is an orphan on her way to live with an aunt in Virginia. August allows Lily and Rosaleen to stay and offers them room and board in return for help around the house and farm. Lily works with August caring for the bees, learning much about bees and bee culture, while Rosaleen helps May with the cooking.
Lily becomes aware that May’s behavior is highly unusual. Deeply affected by the suicide of her twin sister, April, when they were fifteen years old, May remains exceptionally vulnerable to others’ pain, has frequent outbursts, and sings simple songs to calm herself.
Lily is invited to join the Boatwright sisters’ evening prayers, which involve kneeling in front of a three-foot statue of a black Mary, set up in the parlor. (Lily immediately recognizes that this is the same woman depicted on the honey jar labels and on her mother’s wooden plaque.) It turns out that the Boatwright sisters and several other local African American women have formed their own religious group called the Daughters of Mary, which meets regularly at the Boatwright home.
Lily also meets Zachary Lincoln Taylor, an African American high school student who assists August in the honey business. As their friendship and their feelings grow, Lily and Zach remain aware that a romantic attraction between them would not be seen as acceptable. Lily accompanies Zach to deliver some honey to August’s friend and Zach’s mentor, Clayton Forrester, a white lawyer in Tiburon. Alone in the reception area, Lily secretly makes a collect call to her father and is upset by his continued anger.
One evening, Lily finds May making a trail of food crumbs to lead a roach out of the house. Remembering that her mother used to do this, she asks May if she ever knew a woman named Deborah and discovers that her mother had once lived with the Boatwright sisters.
The following day, Lily rides into town with Zach. They become caught up in a racial taunting episode. Although only a bystander, Zach is arrested. When May hears about the arrest, she is so deeply pained that she commits suicide. For four days, the household maintains a vigil with May’s body laid out near the statue of Mary.
Lily finally talks to August about her mother. When Lily’s mother was a young child, August worked for her family. Years later, when Deborah left T. Ray, she moved in with the Boatwright sisters for a time. Lily is devastated to learn that her mother did not take her along. However, August assures her that within a few months Deborah realized how much she missed her daughter and decided to return home to get her. Tragically it was on that return visit that Deborah was fatally shot. August gives her some of her mother’s things, including a picture of Deborah with Lily. Lily begins to feel more kindly toward her mother.
One day when Lily is alone in the house, T. Ray shows up to take her home. The bill for her collect phone call helped him find her. In a rage at her refusal to come with him, T. Ray confuses Lily with her mother and strikes her furiously, yelling that she should never have left him. August arrives and takes charge of the situation, calmly providing reasons for Lily’s remaining with her. Losing his resolve, T. Ray agrees—which Lily interprets as an act of love, since it is what is best for her. Lily continues to grapple with forgiving both her mother and herself, but she comes to realize that Rosaleen, the Boatwright sisters, and the Daughters of Mary have all become her surrogate mothers.
Bibliography
Bass, Jack, and W. Scott Poole. The Palmetto State: The Making of Modern South Carolina. Columbia: U of South Carolina P, 2009. Print.
Grobman, Laurie. "Teaching Cross-Racial Texts: Cultural Theft in The Secret Life of Bees." College English 71.1 (2008): 9–26. Print.
Kidd, Sue Monk. "All Abuzz about the Black Madonna." Interview. U.S. Catholic 68.11 (2003): 26–30. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Aug. 2014.
Smith, Carissa Turner. "‘Placing’ the Spiritual Metaphors of Contemporary Women Writers: Sue Monk Kidd and Kathleen Norris." Literature and Belief 27.2 (2007): 1–28. Print.