Analysis Of Lily’s Change In The Secret Life Of Bees

Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult,This continues through the teenage years causing them to undergo changes and with time, become more mature. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily is a teenage girl living in a small town in South Carolina. Lily's mother passed away when she was young and Lily struggles to cope with her mother's death and seeks answers for the truth. Lily was forced to grow up with an abusive father who showed little to no affection towards his daughter. Sue Monk Kidd presents the idea that change allows Lily to mature and develop as a character causing her to become more independent.

In The Secret Life of Bees Kidd shows how Lily has become less naive and has started to understand the serious issues in the world related to racism.When arriving at the Boatwright house she is introduced to Zach; a young, athletic, african male, who is a hard worker and supports August beekeeping.

At my school they made fun of colored people’s lips and noses. I myself had laughed at these jokes, hoping to fit in. Now I wished I could pen a letter to my school to be read at the opening assembly that would tell them how wrong we’d all been. You should see Zachary Taylor, I’d say. 

Lily comes to the realization that if her classmates were introduced to Zach they too would understand that the negative stigmas towards other ethnicities are wrong. Kidd shows that Lily searches for a motherly figure through the Boatwrights and Black Virgin Mary. Lily shows the need for a role model to inflence her cchange in the novel.

Lily was in the dark and was confused about her true self. After meeting Virgin Black Mary, it changes her and she realizes what actually happened with her mothers death.

I live in a world of darkness, and you are my mother, I told her. You are the mother of thousands. Lily wants answers about her mother but overall just wants a motherly figure helping her develop and change into a woman. She goes to the Boatwright house and the three months sisters act as motherly figures for Lily. Overall Lily wants comfort and acceptance which is what she receives at the Boatwright house.

Kid asserts that no one is perfect in this world and everyone makes mistakes the important thing is to learn from these mistakes and overcome your differences. Lily’s mother made a mistake but learned from her mistake making her more caring.

Every person on the face of the earth makes mistakes, Lily. Every last one. We’re all so human. Your mother made a terrible mistake, but she tried to fix it. August is saying this to Lily explaining that everyone can make mistakes. Lily’s mother leaving Lily was a big mistake but the fact that Deborah came back proves that she is human.

Characters in the novel must face their challenges. Lily often times worries and does not show her true self to others. I worried so much about how I looked and wether I was doing things right, I felt half of the time I was Impersonating a girl rather than really being one. Lily during this point of the novel was immature and still finding her true self. She was self concios about personal characteristics. As she develops through the story as a person she accepts herself with support from the Boatwrights.

In The Secret Life of Bees Kidd shows Lily’s change through a series of steps eventually helping her reach the point in her life she wants to be at. In today's culture each child must go through different challenges causing them to become more mature and less dependant on others transitioning them into the real world. Overall children in their teenage years adapt and overcome challenges causing the to change. Lily’s change within The Secret Life of Bees is a transition and a coming of age.