Maturity in the Secret Life of Bees Essay

One is not born but rather becomes a woman- Simone De Beauvoir. In work Monk Kidds, The Secret Life of Bees, Lily Owens engages on a life changing expedition to make mind of her difficult predicament. Lily shows that she is a dynamic character as she matures in this coming of age novel. Lily portrays result by means ofout the novel with her behavior with T. radiotherapy, her prejudice view on the community who surround her, and her poor judgement well-nigh her mother. Lily, the protagonist in The Secret Life of Bees, drastically budges her behavior with T. Ray throughout the course of the novel. Although at first screams and argues with him, Lily concisely transforms and has a talk with T. Ray in a polite manner. In the beginning, term oral presentation with T. ray round Rosaleen being in jail, an argument breaks out about her mother when T. Ray tries to hit her.Lily whence shouts at him stating, my mother will never let you touch me once again I hate you T. Ray then g ive births angry and replies saying, you prize that goddamn woman gave a shit about you? The truth is, your sorry mother ran off and left you. The day she died, shed come concealment and get her things, thats all. You can hate me all you want, but shes the one who left you (38-39). As soon the fight is over, the words sink in and settle in Lilys mind which she is now touch on and questioning her mother divergence her as a child which causes her to pack her things, rescue Rosaleen and runs away to Tiburon. everyplace a period of time that Lily spends there with the Boatwright sisters and Zach she matures.Although the scenario still lingers in her mind Lily continues to live her life. When T. Ray in the long run finds Lily, Lily invites him into the house and talks to him in a respectful way. T. Ray starts by saying, Well, well, well. Look whos here. Lily then responds saying, wont you come in? reach a seat if you want to (290). Lilys port towards her father is surely app a tomic number 18nt than her past conversations with him. Even though it is evident that she would never go back home with him, she still shows him respect. Lilys growth is proven through her modification in behavior towards her father.throughout the novel, Lily experiences nigh hurtful thoughts about the people who channelize her in. Even though she has nothing against colored people, Lily thinks some prejudice thoughts about the Boatwrights and Zach. After August shows Rosaleen and Lily where they are going to sleep, she starts to remember what T. Ray say about colored women and reveals her own thoughts T. Ray did not think colored women were cleverness. Since I valued to certify the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white.Lying on the cot in the honey house, though, all I could think was August is so intelligent, so cultured, and I was surprised by this. Thats what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me. (78) Lily is very shocked that she thinks this way about colored people and soon acknowledges her bias thoughts. Despite the fact that Lily may have noticed her prejudice act, she still continues cut down the same path without noticing. While hanging out with Zach on the grass, Zach tells Lily that he doesnt have very much of a future since he is a Negro and she tells him how doing sports is the only way he can be successful.She goes and says, well, you could play football for a college team and then be a professional player. Zach then retorts and says, wherefore is it sports is the only thing white people see us being successful at? I dont want to play football, I wanna be a lawyer. Lily then comes back again annoyed commenting, thats fine with me, Ive just never heard of a Negro lawyer, thats all. Youve got to hear of these things before you can imagine them (120-121). Lilys prejudice ways are evident in her harsh comments towards Zach.Even though she says all tho se rude things, she accepts Zachs choices and supports it. Lilys maturity is portrayed through her acceptance of Zachs choices and wish. While staying at the Boatwrights, Lily continues to think about what T. Ray told her about her mother leaving her as a child. Lily makes some atrocious comments about her mother in spite of her leaving. While speaking with August after telling her that shes Deborahs daughter, she reveals to August how she hates her mother and how her mother never valued her which August then tells her how T.Ray wanted to put her in Bull Street the mental institution. It was cushy for her to distribute me because she never wanted me in the first place you shouldve let him put her in there. I wish shed rotted in there (252) Obviously, Lilys negative words and thought have clouded her true feelings about her mother. August soon convinces Lily about her mother leaving.Further into the conversation, August tells Lily that level(p) though her mother left her, she cam e back for her the day she died which makes think T.Ray had told me that she came back for her things. But shed come back for me, too. Shed wanted to bring me here, to Tiburon, to Augusts. If only wed made it. I remember the sound of T. Rays boots on the stairs. I wanted to pound my fists against something, to scream at my mother for getting caught, for not packing faster, for not coming sooner. (254) Lily soon realizes that her mother did love her and wanted to be with her even though she still blames her for not packing faster.Despite the fact that her mother did leave her in the beginning, she still loves her mother, even more now that she knows that she was coming back just for her. Lilys growth is surely evident due to the fact that Lily had a deeper understanding of what happened the day her mother died and she changed her perspectives on her. The Boatwright sisters, Zach and Lily herself are ultimately the ones to acknowledge for her astonishing change in behavior, her conve rsion of perspective on the people who take her in, and her modification to her dreadful comments made about her mother which help her grow in many ways.The decisions she makes and paths she takes are influenced with the help from people who love her. In order to mature and gain an understanding, Lily goes Tiburon to seek her and her mothers past, get a deeper understanding of why her mother left in the first place and change her view on things. It is apparent that people will do anything to get answers to complex questions that may be lingering in the minds, and on the way to getting their answers they experience growth, love and compassion and leave with a deep understanding.