The Secret Life of Bees: Mother Nature and Human Instinct

Often, to embrace others, one must uncover their motherly nature. In The Secret Life of Bees this statement is frequently true and displayed through many situations. The Secret Life of Bees is an insightful novel which shows the importance of embracing others in tragic situations. The novel begins with the main character, Lily, explaining how at night she lies in bed and watches the bees which fly around her room. Following the death of her mother, Lily lives with Rosaleen, a maid, and her father, who is extremely restricting. Later in the novel, Lily and Rosaleen escape to Tiburon following an incident of racism in which Rosaleen is harassed by five white men. When they arrive Lily finds August, a beekeeper, and her two sisters who kindly allow Lily and Rosaleen to stay at their house until she is ready to depart. In the end Lily is given permission to live with August and discovers that her mom also once lived with August. Throughout Sue Monk Kidd’s novel many major topics are founded on the concept of Motherly Instincts in women and how this ability should be embraced not criticized. Reasons for this which can be found in the novel are: August, the Beehive, and Black Mary.
An example of motherly instinct shown throughout the novel is the actions of August towards others. Firstly, August expertly cares for all bees that she gathers honey from. One situation which displays this is when Lily states, “She was constantly checking on her hives, driving her old flatbed truck from one end of the country to other” (Kidd 93). August expresses her true motherly nature through her persistence in ensuring the health of all bees no matter the location of each hive. A second instance where August demonstrates her compassionate attitude is when she allows Lily and Rosaleen to live at her house until they are able to depart. Following Lily and Rosaleen’s arrival at August’s house, August gives Lily and Rosaleen permission to stay saying, “Well, you can stay here