Character Analysis: Secret Life Of Bees
Sonsyrea Tate states that home will always be with you, no matter where you go. In this sense, home is where aspirations, experiences, and growth lie. In Secret Life of Bees, the main character, Lily, finds herself trapped within an abusive, constrained home, but eventually finds a safe haven in Tiburon, with the Calendar Sisters. As Lily travels to search for a place where she belongs, she not only takes Rosaleen with her, but her unresolved emotions of her mother and aspirations of freedom as well.
Lily’s home in the beginning of the novel consists of constant abuse and confinement controlled by the hand of T-Ray, her father. In these harsh circumstances, Lily continuously hopes and dreams of her mother, finding comfort in secretly obtaining …show more content…
When Lily assumes her mother abandoned her when she was an infant, she finds herself confused, frustrated, and eventually angry. She breaks down, destroying and smashing the honey jars. Lilys’ actions and high-strung emotions reflect T-Ray’s own feeling of abandonment. Her emotions reflect the foundation of what her old home symbolized; a house of confusion and frustration within her father and herself. While remaining with the Calendar Sisters she comes to terms with her guilt and misguided feelings toward her mother. Despite the absence of her biological mother, she is surrounded by a feminine community that gives her support and guidance. Lily also gains her own spiritual identity and feminine empowerment through the Black Madonna, which helps her become confident. Lily also learns, with August’s guidance, that despite the absence of her mother, she can look and find the mother inside herself. When Lily feels she isn’t loved, August informs her that the idea of a mother is found within herself, when she states, “She’s something inside of you…You have to find the mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside…(KIDD 288). Lily’s new home in Tiburon gave her solidarity and familial unity that her old home couldn’t. Even though Lilly
Lily’s home in the beginning of the novel consists of constant abuse and confinement controlled by the hand of T-Ray, her father. In these harsh circumstances, Lily continuously hopes and dreams of her mother, finding comfort in secretly obtaining …show more content…
When Lily assumes her mother abandoned her when she was an infant, she finds herself confused, frustrated, and eventually angry. She breaks down, destroying and smashing the honey jars. Lilys’ actions and high-strung emotions reflect T-Ray’s own feeling of abandonment. Her emotions reflect the foundation of what her old home symbolized; a house of confusion and frustration within her father and herself. While remaining with the Calendar Sisters she comes to terms with her guilt and misguided feelings toward her mother. Despite the absence of her biological mother, she is surrounded by a feminine community that gives her support and guidance. Lily also gains her own spiritual identity and feminine empowerment through the Black Madonna, which helps her become confident. Lily also learns, with August’s guidance, that despite the absence of her mother, she can look and find the mother inside herself. When Lily feels she isn’t loved, August informs her that the idea of a mother is found within herself, when she states, “She’s something inside of you…You have to find the mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside…(KIDD 288). Lily’s new home in Tiburon gave her solidarity and familial unity that her old home couldn’t. Even though Lilly