Blog Post on My Independent Reading Book

  Have you ever been stung by a bee? It hurts, it hurts a lot.  But then the pain goes away little by little until its all gone.  In "The Secret Life of Bees," by Sue Monk Kidd, pain is common with the characters but little by little it goes away.  The main character is a fourteen year old girl named Lily. Lily is upset with her abusive father after she learns the truth with how her mother dies.  So with her fugitive housekeeper they embark on a journey to Tibroun, South Carolina where they experience new people, religions, and of course bees.  In this book the author wants the reader to understand that in order to live in the present you must accept the past.
  For example, in the beginning of the book we meet T. Ray, Lily's father, and we begin to understand that Lily needs closure with him.  For instance, he used to make Lily kneel on broken glass when she didn't behave.  This traumatized Lily and made her believe that he didn't love her.  Then he made her feel shame about they way her mother left.  In Lily's eyes, both those examples made her feel unloved.  August helps her understand that T. Ray wasn't the best father but Lily should move on after she speaks with him.  August is a good mentor for Lily because she know most about living in the now despite your past hardships.
  Also in the book Lily feels guilty about how she left her hometown with Rosaleen. For example, in the book she was always jump whenever police would appear in Tibroun because she was afraid of being caught and Rosaleen going to jail.  Additionally, she didn't want Rosaleen to become a registered voter because last time it caused conflict. This is evidence that in order to get rid of guilt you must take responsibility for your actions.  Lily did this by admitting these events to August and making promises to somehow resolve these problems.  I believe everyone needs a person in their lives they could trust with their troubles.
  Lastly, Lily had to find answers to her questions about her mother.  She came to Tibroun based on some objects her mother left behind.   Even though she wasn't sure that her mother went to Tibroun she had no other ways of finding clues.  And once she was in Tibroun she sought out refuge hoping to find answers and when she found her answers out in a painful way she was heartbroken.  But Lily realized that if she had acknowledged her past instead of hiding it she wouldn't have been in so much pain.  Hiding the truth isn't going to protect you, it's going to make you feel worse.
  In conclusion, this book has many hidden meanings and life lessons but learning to accept your past is the most important.  I used to think that you should do whatever it takes to protect yourself, but now I know that protecting yourself doesn't matter if you still feel safe.