The novel’s setting is the racist south during the civil rights movement. The characters interaction in the novel try to bring out the situation as it was during the civil rights movement. Key to note here is that various people had the responsibility of uniting the people while some like Dr, Martin Luther king Jr. had the responsibility of fighting for the rights of his people. The rivalry that was there between the white and the black camps had created so much tension among the two groups creating enemies as a result (Harken 57). There was to be reconciliation and forgiveness for the two groups to exist together after the civil rights law had been signed. This paper is going to explore the concept or responsibility as well as irresponsibility inherent in the characters in the novel and how these characters depict the actual people in real life at that time. It is also going to bring out the issue of reconciliation and forgiveness that had to be for a peaceful co-existence not only with other people but with the individuals’ souls.
The issue of responsibility arises right from the beginning of the story. Lily who is only fourteen lives with her father T. Ray, an insensitive but rather responsible man. He does not care about Lily’s feelings despite him being her father. T. Ray Owens though insensitive is brought out as both irresponsible and responsible. He owns a large peach farm which seems to be doing fine. He is determined to raise his daughter Lily with an iron fist. Once when he found Lily sleeping in her secret place in the woods at night, he punished her severely, something he had been accustomed to by asking Lily to kneel on grits which were the size of an anthill on a pine floor. He did this to punish her thinking that Lily was with a boy. Something he really despised. “I expect this out of boys, Lily- you can’t blame them- but I expect more out of you. You act no better than a slut” (Kidd 13). Though this was very harsh, a sense of responsibility is seen since this shows that T. Ray did not want his daughter ending up as a slut.
Rosaleen Daise also brings out the issue of responsibility. She was the one responsible for Lily Owens growth from her childhood. She acted as Lily’s mother since Lily was four after Lily’s mother tragic death. Apparently it was Lily who accidentally shot her mother while she was quarreling with T. Ray. She though does not clearly remember the events that led to her mother’s death Deborah. As it seems, Deborah was really not that responsible. She apparently had returned to pick her clothes to live T.Ray’s house and go live with the Boatwright sisters. She was to live Lily young as she was and in need of a motherly love. This shows that she really did not care about Lily’s well being (Kidd 98). Lily lamenting of her lack of mother love brings out this. As it seems, she would never have been responsible for her daughter’s upbringing even if she were to be alive. May be Deborah’s death and it being brought about by her own daughter was deserved.
Lily the protagonist of this novel is also brought out as a responsible young girl. She helps Rosaleen escape from the Sylvan hospital as she got wind of Franklin Posey intention of killing her from T. Ray. Together they escape towards Tiburon. Lily even buys some food for the two of them on their escape route. She also steals some snuff for Rosaleen as she knew the woman needs it. When Lily and Rosaleen, finally get to the Boatwright family, it is the younger woman Lily who takes up the responsibility of explaining to August Boatwright the reason behind their presence there. This even annoys Rosaleen as Lily kept speaking for her as if she was not there. Even though, August allows Lily and Rosaleen to join the family. During her life with the Boatwright’s family, Lily is brought out as a very responsible young woman, helping August with her bee keeping endeavors. Lily also earns a living with the bee keeping job.
The issue of forgiveness is inherent in the main character Lily. Though she hated her father for his cruelty, she finds a heart to forgive him at the end of it all. Even after August finally narrates to Lily about the life of Deborah and how Deborah had left Lily as a baby, she feels a very heavy purge of hatred towards her mother but later forgives her. She emerges as very loving, caring and forgiving woman later on and realizes just how many mothers she had in the Boatwright family, let alone being with Rosaleen.
There seems to be a correlation between the bees and the story itself. The queen bee kind of represents the mother who was absent. Her responsibility was to ensure relative peace and stability of the drones (Irvine 78). The absence of the queen brings about confusion creating divisions in the whole swarm. There had to be a central figure to hold to the fabric of the society during the civil rights period a responsibility and task which handle well with major civil rights activists.
Works cited
Irvine, C. Colin. Teaching the Novel across the Curriculum: A handbook for Educators. USA:
ABC-CLIO, 2007.Print.
Harken, L. Amy. Unveiling the Secret Life of Bees. St Louis: Chalice Press, 2005. Print
Kidd, M. Sue. The Secret Life of Bees. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print.
