The Secret Life of Bees

Throughout reading the novel, one witnesses how different personality types react in certain emotional states. Each of the characters in the novel reacts to sadness, for an example, in all sorts of ways. In particular, I focused on Lily and Rosaleen because of the stark contrast they represent meanwhile maintaining a closeness with one another. I found each character humane by the mistakes they would make as a result of reactions to spontaneous outbursts of secrets that are woven throughout the plot.
I found that it was refreshing to hear the novel told in Lily’s point of view. She reacted as a naïve and vulnerable subject which was very agreeable. The reader connects with her as more as a person who is generally fretful and lacks the presence of a mother’s love. She responds to the circumstances in a very real manner. She searches for an explanation within herself, as well as comfort, which is something that everyone can relate to. People try to talk themselves out of a bad situation in order to convince them that the truth is not what it is, just as she wants to deny the meaning of her own name, “an unwanted child”. Every thought that crosses through Lily’s mind is one of humility which is something that is not presented in most fiction, or else it would not be interesting. This novel was interesting, most characters in fiction do things that are not expected in order to keep the reader engaged; however, in this novel, the reader is engaged by the feelings that everyone has, but are not usually expressed outside of the mind, and the plot that is told, which is delightful. Certain feelings that came up were feelings of humility and being uncomfortable for the first time around women of color during the ceremony of the black Madonna, “I wanted to touch her vanishing red heart, too, as much as anything I’d ever wanted. As I rose from my chair, my head was still swimming some. I walked toward black Mary with my hand lifted. But just as I was about to reach her, June stopped playing. She stopped right in the middle of the song, and I was left in the silence with my hand stretched out” (111). In these instances, Lily wants so badly to be a part of something but realizes it is wrong somehow. Her feelings were genuine and not a superficial remark. Her sincerity is refreshing.
Rosaleen is also sincere, but frank with her sincerity. She has genuine feelings, but she represents the type of woman who treats things with an immature openness. Rosaleen’s feelings are out on the table, unlike Lily’s who is all in her head, which is why she is the narrator. Rosaleen is hurt and jealous of Lily’s obsession with her mother to the point that she wants to downplay Lily’s expectations of her mother. She even gets jealous of August who is the oldest sister of the beekeepers for treating Lily like her child. At one point in the novel, Rosaleen tries to tell Lily her opinion, but all of a sudden she pities the state Lily is in and matures. The sign of maturity here is the feeling of not caring about one’s self any longer, but putting someone else before.
The entire book takes the reader through the journey of self-realization, which everyone has gone through despite how absurd a plot may be. Despite Lily having to deal with the murder of her mother and going into seclusion with three African American sisters who are beekeepers, on every level of reflection we can all relate to the conclusions she draws and the thoughts that cross Lily’s mind. Even though Rosaleen is not the narrator, the reader can catch on to her insecurities and her transformation from immature to mature. Lily realizes what the reader knew all along, that she had everything she thought she lacked, mainly people who cared about her. The reader can relate, on a human level, to the female growth that has occurred throughout the novel in relation to being vulnerable and having the ability to open up to the reader through harsh experiences.