Secret Life of Bees

Unlike most contemporary novels, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, is told form the perspective of a white 14-year old girl. This causes the themes such as racism and religion to be told from a new angle.

The narration sets a new precedent for reading by placing it through Lilly’s eyes. Most times in literature, a child’s view of the world is immature and somewhat naive. It’s obvious that Lilly might not fully understand the issues of world, much as any child would. On page 21 when Lily and Rosaleen are watching TV, for the first time, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passes and put into affect. It’s important to note that the two girls have very different reactions. Being an African American, Rosaleen is thrilled. However, Lily is confused on her feelings. She has never been exposed to such a life-altering situation. (Kidd 21) Lily says, “I didn’t know whether to be excited for her or worried. All people ever talked about after church were the Negroes and whether they’d get their civil rights.” (Kid 21) Obviously, Lily is unsure whether this change is a good or a bad thing.

When Lilly and Rosaleen escaped to Tiburon, Lilly again does not know how to feel. When she goes into with Zach, Lilly says that she was so shocked that all she could do was to stare out the windshield like she was watching a test pattern (Kidd 180). When children do not know how to react to a certain situation, they often just “stare in shock.” However, I think Lily’s use of metaphors throughout the novel is advanced for a child her age. Also, a main point to recognize throughout the novel is that, Lily is not totally unaware of the affect of racism and other issues in general, just how the issues affect her. For example, after the Civil Rights Act is put into use; Lily tags along when Rosaleen goes to register to vote. Not realizing what she’s doing, Lily takes Rosaleen into white church.

Although the concept of a child narrator is not common, Mark Twain’s novel, Huckleberry Finn, is somewhat similar to The Secret Life of Bees. Like Lily, Huck tells the story of his journey down river with a black slave named Jim. At first, Huck is only aware of how racial issues affect Jim, not how they affect him. Huck only becomes aware of the affect on him when he grows close to Jim and fears losing him to a slave master.

I think the use of a child narrator in the novel completed the story. The story would not have had the same affect on its readers if the narrator had been an adult. Kidd’s decision to have Lily tell the story was revolutionary and smart.

Works Cited

Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print