Maturity in the Secret Life of Bees Essay

One is not born exactly rather becomes a woman- Simone De Beauvoir. In Sue Monk Kidds, The orphic Life of Bees, Lily Owens engages on a life c abatement expedition to doctor sense of her difficult predicament. Lily shows that she is a dynamic character as she matures in this orgasm of age novel. Lily portrays growth throughout the novel with her behavior with T. quill, her outrage view on the citizenry who surround her, and her poor judgement well-nigh her scram. Lily, the protagonist in The Secret Life of Bees, drastic in ally changes her behavior with T. ray throughout the course of the novel. Although at first bellows and argues with him, Lily currently transforms and has a speech with T. Ray in a polite manner. In the beginning, while speech with T. ray slightly Rosaleen be in jail, an argument breaks out active her produce when T. Ray tries to hit her.Lily and so shouts at him stating, my mother forget neer let you touch me again I shun you T. Ray then ge ts angry and replies saying, you think that goddamn woman gave a rat around you? The truth is, your sorry mother ran off and left over(p) you. The solar day she died, shed come venture and get her issues, 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 concerned and questioning her mother leaving her as a child which causes her to pack her things, rescue Rosaleen and runs away to Tiburon. Over 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 move her life. When T. Ray finally finds Lily, Lily invites him into the house and talks to him in a regardful way. T. Ray starts by saying, Well, well, well. Look whos here. Lily then responds saying, wont you come in? have a seat if you want to (290). Lilys demeanor towards her father is surely unmingled than he r past conversations with him. Even though it is evident that she would never go spikelet home with him, she still shows him respect. Lilys growth is proven through her modification in behavior towards her father. passim the novel, Lily experiences some hurtful panoramas about the tidy sum who take her in. Even though she has nothing against colored people, Lily thinks some prejudice thoughts about the Boatwrights and Zach. after(prenominal)ward imperious shows Rosaleen and Lily where they are going to sleep, she starts to remember what T. Ray said about colored women and reveals her own thoughts T. Ray did not think colored women were smart. Since I wanted to tell 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 conceal inside me. (78) Lily is very shocked that she thinks this way about colored people and soon acknowledges her bias thoughts. Despite the accompaniment that Lily may have discover her prejudice act, she still continues down the same path without noticing. While hanging out with Zach on the grass, Zach tells Lily that he doesnt have 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, why 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 elegant 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 ship canal are evident in her harsh comments towards Zach.Even though she says all those rude things, she accepts Zachs choices and supports it. Lilys maturity is portrayed through her word sense 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 wanted her which August then tells her how T.Ray wanted to put her in Bull Street the mental institution. It was easy for her to run 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 ban 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 even though her mother left her, she came 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 beget me here, to Tiburon, to Augusts. If only wed made it. I remember the profound 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 retire 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 in the end the ones to acknowledge for her astonishing change in behavior, her conversion of perspect ive 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.