The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees Chapter Questions: Chapter One: 1. Describe the Protagonist. Lily Owens is a 14-year-old white girl living near the small town of Sylvan, South Carolina, with her cruel father, T. Ray Owens, and Rosaleen Daise, her black caregiver. Lily's mother died 10 years ago from a gunshot wound following a physical argument with T. Ray. Lily's memory of the event is hazy, but T. Ray has told Lily that she killed her mother when a gun accidentally fired in her hands. Lily has few friends, but her teacher, Mrs. Henry, told Lily she could be a "professor or a writer." Soon after getting her period at age 12, Lily found a bag containing a photo of her mother, her mother's white gloves, and a picture of a black Mary. On the back of the picture, someone has written "Tiburon, S.C.” 2. Who is Deborah Owens and what has happened to her? Lily’s mother. Deborah was shot accidentally by four-year-old Lily. At the time, she had already left Lily and T. Ray and gone to stay with her old housekeeper, August Boatwright, in Tiburon. Deborah was an attractive and lively woman who became depressed living in Sylvan and had trouble acting as a responsible mother. 3. Who is Rosaleen and why is she important to Lily? Lily’s nanny and first friend. Rosaleen is a black woman who originally worked as a peach picker in the fields belonging to Lily’s father. Six months after Lily’s mother died, T. Ray took Rosaleen out of the fields and assigned her to taking care of Lily. She is a very large woman who often burps and speaks her mind clearly, and openly. Proud and determined, Rosaleen quickly stands up for herself, even in the face of violent, racist men. She loves Lily, helping to make peace between Lily and her abusive father, and she goes along somewhat hesitant way with Lily’s plans out of a combination of love and pity for the young girl. Later, she becomes close friends with May Boatwright and easily becomes part of the Daughters of Mary religious community in Tiburon. Rosaleen did have a husband at one point, although she found him to be stupid. 4. Why is Rosaleen going to town? How does this affect the setting? Rosaleen intends to register to vote. This affects the setting because they are no longer in their home of Sylvan South Carolina. 5. What happens to Rosaleen? Explain what conflict (person vs. _____) Rosaleen encounters and how this affects the theme. On the way out of town, they run into three white men. The men bother Rosaleen, who angrily spills chewing-tobacco juice on their shoes. The men confront Rosaleen and call the police, who take Rosaleen and Lily to jail. This conflict is a person vs. person, this kind of conflict is when a character faces opposition from another person or group of people. In this case Rosaleen, (the central person) was battling three caucasian men ( the group of people). This affects the theme because it is no longer about Lily’s search for a mother, it’s now about racism and how the black people were treated. Chapter Two: 1. What 2 “losses” is Lily grieving? Why are they important? Lily is grieving the fact that Rosaleen, her mother figure is now in jail and is not there to protect her. She is also grieving because T.Ray told her that her mother didn’t want her and was going to leave her. Which makes her feel unwanted. 2. Define segregation. Find an example from chapter two. Segregation is the enforced separation of different racial groups in a country or community. An example from chapter two would be when Lily went to get Rosaleen from Sylvan Memorial Hospital and they had a “black wing”. This is segregation because they are separating the coloured people from the caucasian people. 3. Why are bees an appropriate symbol for the novel? Consider the title in your response. Bees are an appropriate symbol for the novel because bees symbolize Lily's mother. In Sylvan, Lily feels her mother's presence when bees enter her room. Bees, like Lily, need a queen or a mother figure in order to function. At the beginning of the novel, Lily uses the memory of her mother as this figure. 4. What evidence is there thus far that indicates that this text is feminist literature. The theme of The Secret Life of Bees is feminism. Throughout the novel, the author shows aspects and importance of feminine power and a society ruled by women. This book also presents strong female characters living independently. Chapter Three: 1. Lily fantasizes about escaping T-Ray: “I started appreciating Mother Nature, what she’d done with the world.” What does Mother Nature symbolize in this quote? I think Mother Nature represented God because God created the morning she woke up to. Her waking up in a creek in a bed of kudzu vines, with a mist floating along the water, dragonflies, iridescent blue ones, date back and forth sticking the air is all God’s creation. 2. Lily mentions her church and Mary. How is Mary viewed? How are women viewed in the church? Mary is viewed as the commanding mother of Jesus. The only story they talked about in Lily’s church was Mary’s wedding story, the time she persuaded her son, practically against his will to manufacture wine in the kitchen out of plain water. In my opinion, I think women are viewed as commanding and bossy people, which is why the didn’t want women reading or learning, men would’ve rather a stay at home, domestic wife. 3. How might Lily’s upbringing foster her ‘Mother Hunger’? With the death of Lily’s mother at a young age, Lily was in search for a strong female figure of a mother. Although she didn’t have a biological mother anymore, her nanny Rosaleen was a good mother figure for her. With her abusive father, Rosaleen was always there for her. 4. At the general store, Lily sees something that catches her attention. What is significant about the pictures? While in the General Store, while Lily is stealing Snuff for Rosaleen she found herself looking at a picture. It was a picture of the Black Mary, the exact same one that she had found of her mother’s. Chapter Four: 1. Why does Lily feel the need to lie? Lily felt the need to lie because she wanted to be a normal girl for a little while. Not a refugee girl looking for her mother, but a regular girl paying a summer visit to Tiburon, South Carolina. She wanted time to win August over so she wouldn’t send Lily back when she finds out what she has done. 1. Describe the statue in the pink house. Why is Lily’s reaction significant? The statue in the Pink House, was a three foot tall statue of a Black Mary known as “Our Lady of Chains” in the corner of the living room. Lily senses its spiritual power. 1. How does June react to August’s invitation of a place to stay to Lily and Rosaleen? Why do you think she reacts this way? Under her breath June said, “but August —”, from that I think that June did not want them to stay in their house. In my opinion, I don’t think it was Rosaleen that made June feel this way. I think it was Lily and the fact that she was a white girl and back in those days it would be odd to have four black woman and one white girl in the same house. People might have thought the Boatwright sisters kidnapped her or something way worse. 1. Lily finds a stone wall; what is special or different about this wall? What might be the purpose of it? Lily found a stone wall crudely cemented together, lower than the average person's knee height but nearly fifty yards long. It curved around the property and abruptly stopped. It didn’t seem to have any purpose to it but then Lily noticed tiny pieces of paper stuck in the crevices around the stone. One piece of paper said “Birmingham, September 15, four little angels dead”. I think the purpose of this wall was to signify black children that had died and to have a way to remember them, but it also could’ve been the place may writes her thoughts when she’s upset. Chapter Five: 1. What is significant about the honey song (83)? Refer to the symbolic definition of bees. “ Place a beehive on my grave, and let the honey soak through. When I’m dead and gone, that’s what i want from you. The streets of heaven are gold and sunny, but I’ll stick with my plot and pot of honey. Place a beehive on my grave, and let the honey soak through” The song is about dying. Most people when they die dream of going to heaven. Heaven is a sunny and golden place filled with glorious things. In the song they say when they die they don’t need to go to heaven they will lie in their grave with a plot of honey, this tells me that the Boatwright sisters don’t think they need anything else but honey. 2. Describe May; what is different about May? May was simple-minded, and I don’t mean stupid because she was smart in some way such as academically wise but she was naive and unassuming. She was a grown-up and a child at the same time, plus she was a little bit crazy. In addition to my last statement, I also think that May might have had a mental disorder such as anxiety, depression, etc. 3. Lily thinks “This was a great revelation - not that i was white but that it seemed like June might not want me here because of my skin colour.” What is Lily learning about the world around her? What does this say? Lily was learning that it is possible to reject a white person. This says that racism can go both ways, i’m not saying June was a racist but she didn’t want Lily in the house because most likely by having her their if a cop found Lily June, August and May would all be arrested. 4. Why does May go to the wall? May goes to the wall when she is upset, to calm her nerves down. Chapter Six: 1. Why won’t June marry Neil? Why does this upset May? I think June won’t marry Neil because of her past experiences. The last time she was engaged her fiancee never showed up for the wedding, this could have made her skeptical of having another man in her life. 2. Who are the daughters of Mary? The daughters of Mary are August’s spiritual community that comes for a special service. This group consists of six women and one man (Queenie, Violet, Lunelle, Mabelee, Cressie, Sugar Girl and Otis Hills) who all wear elaborate hats. The service focused on the Black Mary statue, a lot of singing and dancing and referring to Mary as “Our Lady of Chains”. 3. Summarize August’s story of Our Lady of Chains/ The black Madonna. Why is she called ‘Our Lady of Chains’? The black Mary statue was found in a river and then brought to a community of black slaves. The slaves began to worship her until their ‘master’ took it. The ‘master’, intending to keep it away from the slaves, preventing them from having hope, chained the statue. Miraculously, the statue was taken fifty times, and each time managed to escape. The statue offered the slaves a group of spiritual unity and power and began to be passed down through the generations. 4. Why is the Daughters of Mary’s worship spiritually moving for Lily (hint, p.102)? “The queen must produce some substance that attracts direct contact. This substance evidently stimulates the normal working behaviour in the hive. This chemical messenger has been called ‘queen substance.’ Experiments have shown that the bees obtain it directly from the body of the queen. — Man and Insects” I think that the Daughters of Mary’s worship might have spiritually moved Lily because, these were things that her mother had known and she’s been looking for closure of her mother. Chapter Seven: 1. Who does Lily meet? Lily meets August’s godson Zach. 2. Describe Zach. Why is Lily disappointed that Zach is back? Zach is a black junior in high school. He has one dimple on his cheek and short-cropped hair. Lily is disappointed that Zach is back because she liked spending time with August. For so long it was Lily and August so in Lily’s mind Zach is invading her time with August. 3. Rosaleen thinks Lily is living in a dream world. What does she mean? What happens when someone wakes up from a dream? What might this foreshadow? I think that when Rosaleen says Lily is living in a “dream world” she means that Lily is lying to people and she hasn’t even thought about telling the truth. When someone wakes up from a dream everything that they have imagined disappears. This foreshadows that when Lily tells the truth or when the Boatwright sisters discover the truth she might have to leave and that ‘dream life’ or ‘fantasy’ she’s living in will disappear. 4. Find examples that illustrate how Lily is slowly beginning to mature. Lily is slowly beginning to mature, by experiencing all these new feelings that only occur as you start growing up. Starting to feel and understand these new emotions is the first step in maturing. Chapter Eight: 1. Why does Lily envy August and her sisters? Lily envied August and her sisters because Lily was an only child of her mother, and Lily didn’t get to know her mother. But August, May and June all knew their mother and their mother gave them a special moth and let them have fun. Lily feels envy because she never got that feeling. 2. What does August teach Lily about the spirit of Mary? Why is it important that Lily learns this lesson? August teaches Lily about the spirit of Mary and how it exists in all things, “inside rocks and trees and even people.” 3. August is a very wise woman. Find FIVE lessons she teaches Lily. The first lesson that August teaches Lily is that women are capable of anything. In the beginning of the novel Lily doubts that she could do anything with her life, particularly college and beauty school. August informs Lily about the importance of making choices. The second lesson was about the benefits of self-reliance and strength. Augusts tells Lily not only to be loving and caring but to also be knowledgeable and well studied. The third lesson is to go through life happily, meaning that she shouldn’t go through life with the feeling of regret. The fourth lesson is to experience love. August is not married by choice, some people choose to get married or have children but August chose a different path. Being married doesn’t mean you haven’t experienced love. The fifth lesson is everyone needs comfort and rescue. 4. What BIG event doesn’t Zach mention that everyone is talking about? Why is this a big deal? The big event that Zach mentions to everyone is that a white movie star is coming to town and intends to see a movie with his black girlfriend. No one is sure whether to believe this rumour, but everyone agrees the rumour itself could cause some serious unrest in town. This is a big deal because at this time black people were not allowed to sit in the white section. 5. Why does Lily call her dad? Lily calls her dad after she sees a photo of Mr. Forrest and his daughter in his office. After Lily sees this photo she feels an urge to call her father to see if her cares about her. Chapter Nine: 1. Why does being called a true bee keeper cause a “fullness” in Lily? What does she mean by “fullness”? Being called a true bee keeper causes a “fullness” in Lily because 2. What happens between Lily and June when Lily hoses her? What does water symbolize? Why is water’s symbolize significant to this scene? It’s an extremely hot day and Lily and August come home to May and Rosaleen playing with water like children, Lily and August soon join their water fight. Later, June comes down angrily and tries to pry the sprinkler from Lily. But their frustration because a bond and they begin to be friends. I think the water symbolizes change because, both Lily and June needed to change their attitude and ways of looking at life. The reason June didn’t want Lily in their house in the first place is because she’s white which is why she needed a change. 3. What does Lily learn about her mother in this chapter? Lily’s father once told her that her mother was weird for putting marshmallows and graham crackers on the ground, while going to the pink house one day she finds May putting marshmallows and graham crackers on the floor just like her mother did. She then asks May about her mother and May tells Lily that her mother, Debrah was a sweet women who lived in the honey house with the boatwright sisters many years ago. 4. What happens to Zach? Zach and Lily ride into town to buy a new radiator, at the store there is a crowd of white men who wait in front the movie theatre for the white movie star and his black girlfriend. Zach’s friends are also there, they are all teenagers in high school just like Zach. After being teased the white men, one boy throws a bottle a them and hits a man in the nose. Zach and his friends won’t say who did it and for that they are all taken to jail. 5. What has upset May? Zach being in jail. 6. What is significant about the imaginary at the end of this chapter: “In life there are things you can’t get over no matter how hard you try, and that sight is one of them. May walking into the trees with the little circle of light bobbing in front of her, then swallowed up by the darkness.” Chapter Ten: 1. Read the bee quote at the beginning of the chapter. What does it foreshadow? “A bee’s life is short. During spring and summer— the most strenuous periods for foraging— a worker bee, as a rule, does not live more than four or five weeks . . . Threatened by all kinds of danger during their foraging flights, many workers die before they have even reached that age.” This foreshadows that May is probably dying or dead. 1. How is suspense created in the search for May? What has happened to her? Suspense is created in her search when they find her flashlight and think they might be on the right track in finding her. Unfortunately, they find her dead. She killed herself by going into a river and tying a rock around her so she would drown. 1. Despite the fact that May has died, the officer is more concerned about Lily’s circumstances. Why? What theme is reinforced in his attitude? Even though May has died the officer was more concerned about Lily because she was a white girl living with black women. Instead of checking on May the interrogate Lily and tell her that living with the Boatwright sisters is beyond her dignity.The theme reinforced in his attitude is racism, this is due to the fact that he showed unjust attitudes and actions towards those of a minority race (black people). 1. Describe May’s vigil. What is the mood? August and Lily arrange the hives in black cloth so that the bees can mourn symbolically. On the second day of the vigil, August finds May’s suicide note and reads it with June. It urges them both to live their lives fully. August interprets this to mean that May wants June to marry Neil. They hold the vigil for four days straight. It is the end of Lily’s first month in Tiburon. The mood is sadness and mourning. 1. What brings Lily “the most cause of gladness”? Lily gets “the most cause of gladness” when she is able to realize how happy she is in the Boatwright house. The time that August and June spend mourning for May allows Lily to see the meaning of her time in Tiburon. She discovers this is the place where her heart truly belongs. 1. What is May’s message in her note? What is Lily’s reaction to this? May’s message in her suicide note was for August and June to both live their lives to the fullest and to have no regrets. Chapter Eleven: 1. What has happened to Zach after he was arrested? What is Lily’s reaction to this? Since Zach was arrested he had become angry at society. Lily’s begs him to not turn into a violent and angry person and he promises he won’t. 1. What is Mary Day? Mary Day is a two day feast and festival in honour of of the Assumption of Mary. On this day they bake cakes, hang lights and pray to the “Lady of Chains”. 1. What does June decide? After being proposed to in the middle of preparations for Mary Say, June immediately says yes to marrying Neil. 1. Why is Lily happy to be offered a hat? Lily is happy to be offered a had from the “Daughter’s of Mary” because she wants to die and be buried in the hat. 1. August says “To help us remember, remembering I everything" Why is this true? This is true because Lily remembers her lies, and remembers that she does not want to be kicked out. 1. What has happened between Lily and Zach? Later, Lily grows tired of the praying and heads outside by herself, but Zach follows. Outside, under the light of the moon, they begin to talk, and Zach kisses Lily gently. They express their feelings for each other, promising that they will try to find a way to be together in the future. Chapter Twelve: 1. What does Lily finally tell August? Why is Lily surprised by August’s reaction? Lily tells August about her mother and how she got to Tiburon. Lily is surprised because August doesn’t seem to be upset with her, because August already knew that was Deborah’s daughter. 1. What does Lily learn about her mother? Lily learns that August knew Deborah from the age of four to nineteen, and that her mother was a very kind lady. Lily also finds out that her father was once dedicated to her for the first few years of their marriage but after her parents were married her mother grew depressed and Debrah contacted August. August tells her that she assumed her mother would’ve brought Lily but she had come alone. Which led Lily to hate her mother believing that her mother left her and didn’t want her. 1. Why is Lily afraid of her secrets? 1. August proves that she is good with children, a story teller, a forgiver of sins (hearing Lily’s confession), a sacrifice (gives up idea of marrying), tortured (racism), faithful and devoted, spreads the good word, and a teacher. Of who do these characteristics remind you? Why is this significant?