In “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd we see a...

In â€Å"The Secret Life of Bees† by Sue Monk Kidd we see a young troubled Lily Owens who longs for answers about her mother and that maternal love which she never received. Lily blossoms from a fragile hurt little girl into and strong and independent young woman with the help of the Boatwright sisters. The major themes shown throughout the book are a longing for maternal love and the power and strength of female community. Throughout the story Lily has a void in her life which she so desperately needs filled and that void is her longing for maternal love and answers about her mother who died when Lily was only a young child. It is clear that Lily is unhappy in Sylvan where she lives with her abusive and unloving father T. Ray and after seeing†¦show more content†¦There is no love like a mothers love and even though Lily grew up without one she now has the love of all these amazing women in her life. The second theme shown throughout the novel is the power and strength of female community. When Lily escapes to the Boatwright house she meets the three strong and independent Boatwright sisters. It is there where Lily grows from a scared little girl to not only a stronger and more independent young lady but a more considerate and accepting human being, she grows into a better person. And it was Rosaleen’s strength to stand up to the racist men that gave Lily the strength to runaway from T. Ray and escape Sylvan. As she grows and learns the truth about her mother she accepts her flaws and as she matures and realizes why T. Ray is the way he is, because he is so hurt from Lily’s mother leaving him she accepts his flaws as well and knows that he really does love her. It is the strength of these women that gave Lily the strength and courage to grow and accept. Through this novel we see Lily grow, we see her come of age and mature. Her search for her mother lands her in a place she would have never expected to go but where she was always meant to be. She fills the void of her lost mother with all the amazing women she now has inShow MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesOrigin 2 Plot outline 3 Examples 3.1 Precursors 3.2 17th century 3.3 18th century 3.4 19th century 3.5 20th century 3.6 21st century 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 External links Origin[edit] The term was coined in 1819 by philologist Karl Morgenstern in his university lectures, and later famously reprised by Wilhelm Dilthey, who legitimated it in 1870 and popularized it in 1905.[1] [6] The genre is further characterized by a number of formal, topical, and thematic