Secret Life of Bees Timed Write Revision

One of the key aspects of The Secret Life of Bees by Kidd is its setting- without it, the
story fails to convey the same messages it intends to. Being set in the Deep South in 1964 allows
the novel to explore themes that were and continue to be hot topics- namely, race relations.
While the protagonist, Lily Owens, has grown up in an environment largely inhospitable to racial
toleration, with the notable exception of Rosaleen, her housekeeper, she has managed to stay
largely unaffected by the prejudiced influences surrounding her. Disregarding some implicit bias
against African Americans, Lily has surpassed the racist norms of her community and time
period by allowing herself to accept those of other races and see beyond their outwardly
appearances; as the novel progresses, Lily sees how ones race is not truly indicative of the
content of their character, and grows to be more attune to the way people conduct themselves,
rather than look. Thus, Lily is able to truly transcend the backwards attitudes towards race in her
time period.
It becomes apparent early on in the book that Lily does not harbor the same rancor
towards African Americans that others do. She interacts with Rosaleen in a kindly manner, and
its clear that Lily genuinely cares for her. When Rosaleen pours the snuff on the shoes of the
white supremacists, Lily is only concerned for her wellbeing- she is upset when T-Ray says that
they might kill Rosaleen, as Lily doesnt feel that Rosaleen deserves such a fate for merely
sticking up for herself and her right to vote. Her compassion towards Rosaleen is evidenced by
her breaking Rosaleen out of the hospital- though she was already intending to go to Tiburon, its
unlikely that anyone else would have broken a black women out of custody. This further shows

how Lily transcend the racism of her time period, as she is able to have a deep and loving
connection with someone of a different race, strong enough to break the law for.
However, her acceptance of racial tolerance in evident not only in platonic relationships,
but in more romantically inclined ones too. Her relationship with Zach is also evidence of her
acceptance. In the 1960s, interracial relationships were taboo- Lily herself was surprised to find
herself attracted to him. The two are fully aware of the stigma, yet find themselves drawn to each
other. The kiss they share towards the end of the book seals the deal- they have clearly grown
deeply attached to one another. This comes in spite of the lack many interracial relationships
anywhere in the country, let alone the Deep South, a region thats not famed for its racial
tolerance. This shows how Lily cares more about how someone is than how they may appearshe is able to relate to Zachs personality and charm, and thus, became enamored because she has
transcended the racist norms of her time period.
Though Lily is one of the novels more tolerant characters to start off with, she too faces
some internalized biases from years of growing up in a racially charged environment. Upon
meeting the Boatwright sisters, Lily is shocked by how cultured they seemed to be- it had never
occurred to her that African Americans might be scholarly or so well composed. This same
notion leads her to assume that Zach would be best suited to being a professional athlete. She has
never heard of a black lawyer, and Zach wanting to be one is initially unfathomable. However,
she redeems herself by opening her mind and allowing herself to imagine what has never beenthough she may not get at first why Zach would pursue such a career, she is still willing to accept
it and encourage him, illuminating her innocent, unprejudiced nature. Even though she may feel
that there is some inherent superiority to being white at the beginning of the novel, getting to

learn from the Boatwright sisters and Zach about defying what society expects from some and
succeed in spite of the challenges one may face helps to alleviate this vestigial bias.
Lily Owens is one of the more racially accepting characters in the novel- despite the
racism and racial tensions of her time period, she grows up to be tolerant of other races and is
able to deeply care for them. Though she may have some implicit biases against African
Americans, she is gradually able to overcome them and is shown how ones race fails to
accurately represent their comportment and views. As Lily continues to fight prejudice through
her love for Rosaleen, Zach, and the Boatwright sisters, the audience is able to explore race and
its many aspects in a new light.