The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees By: Sue Monk Kidd.

Sue Monk Kidd. She wrote: Traveling With Pomegranates Secret Life of Bees The Mermaid Chair The Dance of a Dissident Daughter

Characters • Lily Owens • Rosaleen • T. Ray Owens • August Boatwright • May Boatwright • June Boatwright • Zach • Neil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hUsQ5Alxog

Protagonist: Lily Owens • A young fourteen year old girl who works her hardest to find the lost roots to her mother. Finds danger, anguish, and heartbreak to unlock the secrets of her past. Lily takes an adventure to save Rosaleen’s life and runs into a rush of her past that her father didn’t think to mention. Lily soon finds that she has not one mother but threeincredible mothers who love and care for her.

Antagonist: T. Ray Owens • T. Ray, a man whose heartache had made him a loose cannon. T. Ray is a man who doesn’t like to be the talk of the crowd or even to talk at all. Even on Lily’s birthday he chooses to ignore. When Lily runs away from him he goes on a crazy journey to find her. T. Ray goes to take her away from her sanctuary and finds that she found love when her father wouldn’t give it to her.

August Boatwright • August Boatwright is a very intelligent woman. She is smart in ways of knowledge and also in ways of experience. She is my favorite character because she is the one who tells Lily all about her past and the one she loves more than anything, her own mother. August tells her the way things are even though it might not be what she wants to hear. She is so heartwarming she painted her own house bright pink because May liked the color. She is the mother everyone needs in their life.

Neil Neil is one of the very few men who is honest and kind. Sadly he is my least favorite character because he wants June to marry him but she is to scared. He gets angry and doesn’t come back. She loves him but she is too scared to marry him. I think he is that with all the characters he is the least I connected to.

Exposition • The exposition is introduced when Lilly helps Rosaleen escape from the hospital. She helps her because a group of men are angry with her and want to kill Rosaleen only because Rosaleen is black.

Rising Action • The rising events that build up to the climax would include • Zack’s kidnaping • Finding her mother had lived with the Boatwrights • May’s death.

Climax • T-Ray goes and finds Lilly living with the Boatwrights. He tries to take her out the house. When Lilly tells him that she doesn’t want to go with him. The Boatwrights all come down and defend her.

Falling Action • Lilly realizes that she found love and a family with a blind look at what life is about which isn’t about color. She lives with August Boatwright and the rest of the family. Rosaleen finds a family as well.

Resolution • With all the ends of hurt and frustration we find all these beautiful women come together in love and struggle. • These women’s struggle in life doesn’t end here but together they can overcome in struggle.

Setting/ Time Period • The time period is during 1964 when the civil rights movement was underway. • The setting is in South Carolina which is very important in the book because it has many important events in the book that is appropriate for the time period.

Themes • Love. • Racism. • Coming to Age.

Rating • I Rate this a 10! • The whole story was interesting and full of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to keep me interested and made me connected to the characters. I would recommend this to everyone.

Racism in the 1960’s • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb60WfuSFgg • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBPeCQzHu5w

The Secret Life of Bees