Over the break, I started and finished the novel The Secret Life of Bees in which I finished in no time due specifically to its easy going pace and simplistic choices the author decided upon regarding literary features. I have been recommended this book by many of my friends and I was very excited to see if my expectations would be able to be met in which they were. The book is an in-depth coming of age historical fiction novel that I understand discovers multiple areas of prejudice during the time that the novel was set in. My favorite part of the book was the ending which was very happy but taught a lesson that allowed for a new way to look at the book along with other ways of life. In the following blog (first post of the final quarter) post I am going to take a specific look at how the title of the book actually relates to the plot and story line of the remarkably true and emotional experience that the main character, Lily Owens embarked on after leaving home.
To start with the reader needs to have a basic understanding and background in fundamental aspects of what racial segregation was and the real repercussions that it had on American society during the middle of the 20th century. There are various cultural references that are meant to be inferred and quite honestly without knowing what the most prominent themes of the book is the message would be all too unclear. Take a look at the following links for some extra help on what really occurred in the daily life of so many African-Americans during this time;
A CrashCourse on Civil Rights in the 1950s
An article that looks at the economic and political sides
A Basic Summary from Alabamas Encyclopedia
An Overview focusing on Society
Now that we are all on the same page in understanding the main points and objectives of the story let's dive into the main part of this post in which is how I think that the title Secret Life of Bees is a prevalent topic throughout the book and how a bee fits into the protagonist's life. The simplest answer would be that the sisters own a farm in which they harvest honey, but I cannot seem to think that this is the only meaning the title has. Lily had quite a troubling time growing up with only her father and supposedly of killing her mother she often finds herself lonely and questioning what the world throws at her. My main guess as to why the author relates bees is because Lily is a runaway and bees seem to always be moving around and very busy. I also see that honey is stick and as cheesy as it may sound her life almost always seems like it can get mucked up in any second, similar to honey. Continue reading the conclusions I have came up with throughout the book that seems to make the most sense to me with physical backing from the book and logical thinking intertwined.
To start with the reader needs to have a basic understanding and background in fundamental aspects of what racial segregation was and the real repercussions that it had on American society during the middle of the 20th century. There are various cultural references that are meant to be inferred and quite honestly without knowing what the most prominent themes of the book is the message would be all too unclear. Take a look at the following links for some extra help on what really occurred in the daily life of so many African-Americans during this time;
A CrashCourse on Civil Rights in the 1950s
An article that looks at the economic and political sides
A Basic Summary from Alabamas Encyclopedia
An Overview focusing on Society
Now that we are all on the same page in understanding the main points and objectives of the story let's dive into the main part of this post in which is how I think that the title Secret Life of Bees is a prevalent topic throughout the book and how a bee fits into the protagonist's life. The simplest answer would be that the sisters own a farm in which they harvest honey, but I cannot seem to think that this is the only meaning the title has. Lily had quite a troubling time growing up with only her father and supposedly of killing her mother she often finds herself lonely and questioning what the world throws at her. My main guess as to why the author relates bees is because Lily is a runaway and bees seem to always be moving around and very busy. I also see that honey is stick and as cheesy as it may sound her life almost always seems like it can get mucked up in any second, similar to honey. Continue reading the conclusions I have came up with throughout the book that seems to make the most sense to me with physical backing from the book and logical thinking intertwined.
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