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The Secret Life Of The Bees Character Analysis

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In life people experience traumatic events and it shapes the way they grow and develop as a person. This experience could be the loss of a parent or friend and people have to learn how to cope with their feelings. In the book “The Secret Life of the Bees”, the main character Lily experiences the loss of her mother and the abuse of her father. These events shape how she lives and sees the world.
In the book, Lily suffers from her lack of knowledge about her deceased mother and the abusive father she lives with. Her father T. Ray, constantly verbally abuses her and gives her cruel punishments like kneeling on grits for hours. Due to her mother not being there Lily fears that she lacks all femininity and imagines that her mother is her angel, watching over and loving her. The neglectfulness of T.Ray combined with her desire to know more about her mother, leads her to run away with her nanny Rosaleen. Lily and Rosaleen end up in Tiburon, South Carolina, where she meets people that finally truly love her.
Lily realizes that Rosaleen is not just her nanny, she is a prominent maternal role model. Rosaleen has taught her about racism and taught her not see race but see the person. She also taught her the importance of independence and …show more content…

She makes Rosaleen and Lily feel at home. This gesture of love and compassion was very different from her treatment at home. August also shows her how to collect honey and care for her bees which shows how much she respects and truths her. Lily feels a connection with August and asks her about her mother. This scene is very important because it finally gives her justice and closure about how much her mother loves her. There are a community of men and women called the Daughter of Mary. They helped Lily feel welcomed in their prayer services. The Daughters also serve as a great support system when T. Ray unexpectedly arrived and attempted to take her

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