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8/3/2019 bee essay
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Emily PetersonPeriod
5-31-11Mrs. Schraw
Themes in The Secret Life of Bees
Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting. Edmund Burke, a
successful orator and philosopher, explains the importance of reflecting on what we read.
When we reflect, we think deeply and make connections from novels to our own lives.
Authors encourage us to make connections by using literary elements in their novels.
They may use symbols, imagery, foreshadowing, or themes. Themes are general lessons
about life, and many are found in The Secret Life of Bees. The three most significant
themes in The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd are secret lives, motherhood, and
racism.
Sue Monk Kidd leaves us several messages in her novel. She talks about the
secret lives of both bees and humans. Bees live intricate lives, and humans usually do not
realize how complicated a beehive is. Each bee has his or her own job, and the main goal
is to keep the queen bee happy. Like bees, people lead complicated lives and are not
always what they seem on the surface. August explains this to Lily with the following
quotation. Most people dont have any idea about all the complicated life going on
inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we dont know anything about. (148) In this
statement, August refers to many parallels between bees and humans. Every bee in the
hive has an occupation, as Lily also has a job working for the Boatwrights. Bees have a
mother to care for them, and Lily craves a mother to be there for her. Motherhood is
another prominent theme. Lily is looking for information about her mother from the very
beginning. Her mother, Deborah, dies when Lily is only four years old, so Lily has to
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grow up motherless. Rosaleen acts as a mother figure for her; however, she is not as
comforting or soft as Lily imagines her real mother to be. Later, August provides support
and listens to Lily when she wants to talk. She gives Lily wisdom about beekeeping and
tells her a woman can be successful, despite the discrimination against females. In
addition to secret lives and motherhood, racism is a powerful theme. During the 1960s,
African Americans are not treated fairly. Rosaleen gets sent to jail for spitting on a white
mans shoes. Zach, the boy with whom Lily falls in love, wants to be a lawyer, but his
skin color may affect his opportunities. The following quotation shows how August feels
about skin color and racism. You know, some things dont matter that much, Lily. Like
the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a persons
heart now thatmatters. (147) August explains how outside appearance should not
matter, but the inside qualities are important. At the beginning, Lily struggles with her
own racism. She thinks all African Americans are like Rosaleen, uneducated laborers or
housekeepers. She also does not believe black people can be attractive. It surprises Lily
when she meets August, who is intelligent and sensitive, and Zach, who is charming and
handsome. She overcomes her racism and realizes there are more qualities to people than
appearances. Sue Monk Kidd effectively leaves us messages about secret lives,
motherhood, and racism.
Secret lives, motherhood, and racism are the three most significant themes in Sue
Monk Kidds novel, The Secret Life of Bees. Themes are messages which give readers
general lessons about life. In addition to themes, authors use literary elements such as
symbols, imagery, and foreshadowing. The use of these elements encourages us to make
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connections to our own lives. It is very important to think deeply and reflect on what we
read. If we read without reflecting, it is like eating without digesting.