Rachel Pickett

Ms. David
Honors English 10
14 May 2016
The Secret Life of Bees Timed Write
Sue Monk Kidds The Secret Life of Bees takes place in South Carolina in the 1960s as
the young protagonist, Lily, leaves her home to live with three black women on a honey bee
farm. As the novel proceeds, the characters develop complicated relationships that make the
book unique from other novels that are set in this time period. Being that this book is set in a
time period that is critical for the Civil Rights Movement, race is an important theme. Lilys
story transcends the 1960s because of the way black characters in the novel are portrayed as
strong, smart individuals and through Lilys multidimensional, fluid thoughts on race. After all,
the characters in the book can give the reader a window into this complicated time period for
race relations.
While many people in the 1960s had the view that black people were dumb and ignorant,
that is not how the black characters in the book are presented. Take Zach for example: while Lily
automatically assumes that he wants to be an athlete, he actually wants to become a lawyer so he
can fight against the system that he deems to be unjust. This is important because it shows Zach
as a character with a purpose rather than someone who is just angry at his circumstances.
Another example is August who is independent and owns her own business. August teaches Lily
how to be a successful beekeeper, what love truly is, and how to forgive the people who have
wronged you. Augusts honey company is relevant because it puts her in the same category as T-

Ray, a business owner, who is a white male who has had every opportunity to get ahead. Kidds
black characters are smart, resourceful, kind, and transcend the time period because their purpose
is greater than to solely show the injustices of the world.
Lily plays an interesting role in the conversation of race because while she isnt
outwardly discriminating, she is certainly not free from having discriminatory tendencies. Her
multidimensional view on race can be seen many times in the novel. She certainly doesnt have
racist tendencies in her actions giving that she has no qualms about living with black people and
cannot understand why the police officer doesnt want Lily to live with the Boatwright sisters.
This shows the reader that Lily doesnt display the level of racism that is usually seen with white
people in the south at that time. Another example is Lilys forbidden love with Zach. During this
time period, it was definitely a taboo to be involved in an interracial relationship, but Lily
transcends these norms by admitting that she has feelings for Zach. This is yet another example
of Lily having an accepting attitude towards black people. But throughout the novel, Lily does
show some forms of prejudice. She thinks it is odd that the Boatwright sisters are culturally
knowledgeable when she assumed that all black people were ignorant and dumb. Lily also is
shocked when June is mean towards her because of the color of her skin. This is shocking
because Lily has never experienced a black person discriminating against her. These thoughts
and actions of Lilys prove that she is not completely immune to racism. Lily transcends the time
period of the novel because her attitude of race is complex and she doesnt fit into either racist or
not racist, like many people in the time period do.
Lilys arc throughout the story surpasses the norms of racial relations in the 1960s. The
black characters in the novel are complex and multidimensional and Lily herself cannot be
described as the southern racist that were typically associated with the time period. Although the

time period of the 1960s contributes to the book, the book is not defined by the time period. The
characters ultimately define the story.