Lily wants to be an author when she grows up—and, boy, does she pick the right place to run away to in terms of finding mentoring—and material. Although initially it's hard to imagine a taller tale than the story of swarms of bees visiting in her room every night, which is how Lily begins her tale, August's stories demand even bigger suspensions of disbelief. As we have already mentioned with respect to the "Lies and Deceit" theme, the novel's characters generally aren't super hung up on the literal truth most of the time, preferring the power of an affecting narrative to documentary fidelity. Lily certainly puts her storytelling powers to good use in getting out of sticky situations . . .
Questions About Literature and Writing
- The novel weds some fantastical elements with attempts to present very real (and serious) historical events. Do you think the novel achieves a balance between these modes that works? Why or why not?
- The novel essentially fulfills Lily's promise to put Zach's story in writing; however, the book really is her own coming-of-age story more than anything else. Do you find the way Zach's story fits into Lily's problematic in any way? What about any of the other references to bigotry, discrimination, or racially motivated violence that appear in the novel?
- Unlike August, May is consistently weighed down by other people's stories rather than empowered. Is that important? If so, why?
Chew on This
The fantastical elements in The Secret Life of Bees encourage readers to look at the historical references more critically than they might otherwise (that is, if they were reading a more documentary-esque account).
In order to maintain her credibility as a narrator, Lily must focus first and foremost on her own personal history, as that's what she knows. That gives her the "currency" necessary to tackle big issues like bigotry and discrimination with authority, as far as they touch her own life.