Secret Life of Bees Theme Analysis Essay
Civil Rights…Racism…Discrimination. The 1960s come to mind when these words are heard. This time period was filled with prejudice and extreme racial segregation. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd presents various messages of prejudice in the characters everyday lives. African Americans were denied many rights and were treated with great disrespect even after the Civil Rights Act was established. Also, African Americans were downgraded by society. In addition, it was very looked down upon to be in any sort of relationship with a Negro if one was white.
To begin, one instance of prejudice in The Secret Life of Bees was when Lily is discussing future career choices with Zach. “I’ve just never heard of a Negro lawyer,” (Kidd 121). In this situation, Lily learns that Zach wants to become a lawyer after college. The Civil Rights Act was barely being enforced, and before then it was never spoken of to have African Americans do the important jobs that are held by the whites. The incorporation of blacks to the everyday American community was extremely resisted and not welcome yet. It was not yet recognized that Negros had the same academic and intellectual possibilities as white people.
In addition, another example of prejudice in the novel was after May’s death, while police officer Eddie Hazelwurst was questioning Lily. As Hazelwurst said, “I’m just saying it’s not natural, you shouldn’t be…well, lowering yourself,” (Kidd 198). The police officer says that Lily should not be residing with black people, as it was “unnatural”. In this time period, Negros were considered “lower” or “beneath” whites. In this case, Lily was considered to be “lowering” herself by living with the Boatwright sisters. Whites had very strong resentment toward African Americans and thought of them as less than whites.
Lastly, it was highly unacceptable for a black person to be in any relationship with a white person. In the novel, Zach, being black, and Lily, being white, were
To begin, one instance of prejudice in The Secret Life of Bees was when Lily is discussing future career choices with Zach. “I’ve just never heard of a Negro lawyer,” (Kidd 121). In this situation, Lily learns that Zach wants to become a lawyer after college. The Civil Rights Act was barely being enforced, and before then it was never spoken of to have African Americans do the important jobs that are held by the whites. The incorporation of blacks to the everyday American community was extremely resisted and not welcome yet. It was not yet recognized that Negros had the same academic and intellectual possibilities as white people.
In addition, another example of prejudice in the novel was after May’s death, while police officer Eddie Hazelwurst was questioning Lily. As Hazelwurst said, “I’m just saying it’s not natural, you shouldn’t be…well, lowering yourself,” (Kidd 198). The police officer says that Lily should not be residing with black people, as it was “unnatural”. In this time period, Negros were considered “lower” or “beneath” whites. In this case, Lily was considered to be “lowering” herself by living with the Boatwright sisters. Whites had very strong resentment toward African Americans and thought of them as less than whites.
Lastly, it was highly unacceptable for a black person to be in any relationship with a white person. In the novel, Zach, being black, and Lily, being white, were