Racism In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life Of Bees

In Nikky Finney's poem "Red Velvet", Rosa parks, a 42 year old seamstress recalls the time 12 years ago when she was put off of a bus for refusing to give up her seat to a white man. On December 1st, 1955, 12 years after the incident, she boards the same bus that was driven by the driver who put her off before, but this time when asked to move, Rosa parks decides to stay put. She reminisces on her experiences of segregation, discrimination and her daily struggles on and off the bus. Finney uses an extended metaphor as she compares the strength of fabric to the persistence of Rosa Parks. The part that I thought was most important/moved me the most was when Finney claims that the job of a seamstress is tough and that one should never underestimate

In The Secret Life of Bees, the author, Sue Monk Kidd, alludes to the Freedom Summer Murders to create a conflict to start the rising action of the plot. In Mississippi in 1964, civil rights workers attempted to prepare and register African American to vote. In the novel, the radio broadcasters were discussing current events including the following: “...how police were looking for the bodies of those three civil rights workers in Mississippi…” (166). In the beginning of the story, Rosaleen heads to register herself to vote, but on her way, a few white men harass her about her skin color and her size. She then spits on one of the men, who in turn, start to beat her.

The book takes place in the 1920’s, when African-Americans were discriminated against and when segregation was legal. One of the main characters, Clare Kendry, is a light-skinned biracial woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. Claire recognizes the privileges of being an accepted as caucasian, and uses her physical appearance to bypass the repressive laws of the Jim Crow era and fully integrate herself into white American society. For example, Clare is able to go into restaurants and shops that are marked “Whites Only,” and is served and attended to with gusto. Furthermore, Claire marries an extremely racist white man who initially has no idea that she is actually biracial, and has a child with him.

This book was written in the time period of the late 1850’s early 1860’s. During this time period there was a lot of racism in the world. Everywhere you went, it was segregated. Even in the schools. But that never stopped a girl named Liz.

In November of 1938, Negroes and whites attended her meeting of the Southern Conference on Human Welfare in Birmingham, Alabama. Bounded by the city’s segregation ordinance, they couldn’t sit together (Gerber 172). However, instead of sitting in the white side’s aisle upon her arrival, Eleanor moved her chair to sit in the blacks’ section. She refused to move until the police came and threatened to throw her in jail (Gerber 172). A few weeks later, Eleanor confronted another issue on racism.

The best works of literature are indubitably those that entice our intellectual capacities, enrich our understanding of the human condition, and broaden our comprehension of the ideas which underpin society. Indeed, The Secret Life of Bees, is a prime example of one of these distinguished works of literature as the messages presented to us in the text only serve to broaden our perceptions on key societal ideas and issues. Furthermore, the messages and ideas presented in the text are very much applicable to today’s society. One of these ideas, which was discussed explicitly, is the irrationality of racism. With the progression of time, (as aforementioned in my previous entries) racism has been substantially reduced through increased awareness of this key social issue.

To begin, the fact that Lily was white and Rosaleen was black shows the audience that racism was irrational. Even though at first, Lily thought all blacks were uneducated, we see her grow and learn. They bring characters like August that opened Lily’s eyes to a new world. When she begins to develop feelings for Zach it is a totally new world. In school she was taught that they were just trouble, but fell for him anyway and realized everyone was wrong.

The novel’s protagonist, Janie Crawford, a woman who dreamt of love, was on a journey to establish her voice and shape her own identity. She lived with Nanny, her grandmother, in a community inhabited by black and white people. This community only served as an antagonist to Janie, because she did not fit into the society in any respect. Race played a large factor in Janie being an outcast, because she was black, but had lighter skin than all other black people due to having a Caucasian ancestry.

A New Family: Interracial Relationships and Religion in The Secret Life of Bees In such a diverse world where different races come together and interact, the early 1960s reveal society’s surprised reaction to these relationships. Interracial relationships are strongly frowned upon during this time, almost as if they are illegal. Fortunately, over time, people begin to accept those with different backgrounds and can easily communicate with each other. Hardships are still present today, but society in moving in a better direction.

By an anonymous writer later revealed as Skeeter also known as Eugenia Phelan. Skeeter, a white woman, returns to her hometown (Mississippi) to discover that her motherly nanny Constantine has left but no one tells what happened. Soon Skeeter realizes the injustice her society practices and decides to write a book where voices of black will be raised. She approaches Aibileen for sharing her narrative to which Aibileen responds positively and also let’s Minny in their secret. Minny, Aibileen’s friend, another black help, reveals a secret about Miss Hilly that ensures Miss Hilly’s silence after the publication of their writing project.

In this book Glory is overwhelmed with how her town is handling people who are different than they are. She realizes that her favorite local pool is closing down so colored people can’t swim with the whites. Glory becomes an activist herself and writes a letter to the newspaper lining which makes her preacher father proud. Therefore, the theme of this book is to treat everyone equally, such as when Glory’s friend Frankie from Ohio drinks out of the “colored fountain”. Also, when Glory’s sisters boyfriend that he was arrested for sitting with a “colored friend” at the white table.

When they looked up, I watched their faces go from surprise to anger, then outright fury.” (Kidd 32)It was very rude for the men to make fun of her size and race but it was the 1960s and most people were racist. Rosaleen pushed the boundaries when she poured her black spit across their shoe and to make it worse, she just had to do it on one of the most racist people in the town. Another example in

(Monk Kidd 299) Lily believes her life with the Boatwrights has offered her more freedom and will, and she wants to continue with her life with them, as she is more successful with the freedom she has with the Boatwrights. With the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and Rosaleen of legal age, she decides she will register to vote for the second time. The first time, she was beaten by racists, but this time, “‘I’m gonna finish what I started,’ Rosaleen said, lifting her chin. ‘I’m gonna register to vote.’”

The author of the Rosa Parks page emphasizes that, “By refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus in 1955, black seamstress Rosa Parks (1913—2005) helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States” (Rosa Parks). Simply put, Rosa inspired the rest of the African American communities around the United States to protest through boycotts whenever they had the chance to do so. Determined to get the bus segregation law overturned, Parks and her fellow NAACP

The main character, Lily Bart, is an unmarried 29 years old woman who desires to be a social success. Member of the American upper class, but not wealthy enough, she is educated to marry a wealthy man, thereby ensuring her financial stability and a place in the higher levels of New York society. Unfortunately her desire to marry someone wealthy clashes with her feelings for Lawrence Selden, a man of modest means whom she truly loves. Her greed causes her to pass up several good marriage opportunities in hopes that she can do better. The novel follows a two-year period in Lily’s life as she moves from party to party, struggling to stay within the favor of the wealthy while mounting larger and larger debts.