The Secret Life of Sue Monk Kidd

The story of “The Secret Life of Bees” is mostly fictional, but has several minor details that allude to the author's life. The book takes place in the Southern United States which is where Sue Monk Kidd grew up. It also takes place in the 1960's, which is when Sue was a teenager. The main character, Lily, wanted to go to charm school believing it would help her become popular, and Sue herself had attended Charm school to do the same. Both Lily and Sue always wanted to be writers, and they both experienced honey bees invading the walls of their bedrooms. During the 1960's, there was still segregation between “Whites” and “Blacks” and very obvious unequal treatment. Sue had experienced an intense racial divide first hand when the voter registration took place in the summer of 1964, and so did Lily when her nanny Rosaleen decided to vote for the first time.

After Lily and Rosaleen have taken off to Tiburon, Lily goes into a store to buy some things for herself and Rosaleen. At the store, she sees a honey jar with a picture of the Black Virgin Mary like the one she has from her mother's things. She gets the clerk to tell her the origins of the jar, and then takes off once again in search of the place that produces the honey thinking she will get some more information. This leads her to the “Pink House”, which is the residence of the Boatwright sisters (a.k.a. Calendar sisters). August, May, and June allow Rosaleen and Lily to stay with them until they figure out what they're doing. The fact that they automatically allow two strangers to stay with them shows that they are kind and caring women. Also, this combats the reputation that the racial divide lays upon African-Americans. Although June is hesitant about the situation, she lets it go. While they stayed, Lily and Rosaleen help the women with their bee keeping and other jobs around the house. One morning, Lily wanders around the property and comes upon May's “wailing wall” and for the first time discovers May's emotional burdens by pulling out the small pieces of paper wedged between the rocks with peoples names on them. Later, Lily meets Neil. Neil is a man who is head-over-heels in love with June, but whom she refuses to marry. She also meets the “Daughters of Mary” and is inducted into the religious world of the “Calendar Sisters”. Lily then meets Zach, a teenage boy who works for the Boatwright sisters, and becomes great friends with him right away. Judging by Zach and Lily's interactions, I think that this is a foreshadowing event. I think Lily and Zach will become more than friends, but not without tension from their difference of race.

Previously, I had suggested that Lily would not find out much more about her mother. However, I now believe the complete opposite, because of the things Lily is learning. After she saw the honey jar in the store with the same picture of the black Virgin Mary that her mother had kept, I started to re-think my prediction. I now believe Lily has much to learn on her journey to discover the life her mother had led and her quest for answers.