Racism in The Secret Life of Bees free essay sample

Racism was a way of life in the South during the time frame of The Secret Life of Bees. At many times in the novel the reader is shown how racism affects each character in the novel. Racism is shown through Rosaleen and Lily’s arrest, Lily and Zach’s love affair, and also June’s dislike towards Lily. Many characters in the novel come to experience racism or discrimination directly. Very early in the novel, Rosaleen gets into trouble with some men, and the events that take place influence the entire novel. While Lily and Rosaleen were walking a few white men make racial remarks towards Rosaleen. Rosaleen, being the stand up, independent woman that she is, calmly poured her spit juice in their shoes. The men demanded an apology, but her pride would not allow her to do so. In response to Rosaleen’s refusal, the men beat her to the point of hospitalization. We will write a custom essay sample on Racism in The Secret Life of Bees or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Even in front of the police officer that came to bring in the girls in, the men slashed Rosaleen’s head open. Not only did he let the man hurt Rosaleen, but he didn’t punish him in any way. What she did was wrong but the beating that she received for it was not necessary, nor was it necessary for her to be thrown into jail. It was very obvious that the reason that Rosaleen was taken into custody was because she was black. Lily was so naive; she thought that just because a police was with them, nothing bad could happen. This was the first time Lily had witnessed racism and the cruelty and harsh effects that came along with it. Also, T. Ray got Lily out of jail but left Rosaleen to fend for herself. The very fact that he didn’t get the woman who practically raised her out of jail angered her to the point of standing up to T. Ray, which is near suicide. The events that unraveled were very significant and were an eye opener for innocent Lily. She knew racism was real, but she never thought it would ever affect her or her beloved Rosaleen. Later on in the novel, Lily meets a black boy names Zach. Zach lives in a pink house with The Calendar Sisters who took Lily and Rosaleen in. Lily and Zach’s friendship slowly evolved into a deep seated love affair. They both knew they had feelings for each other, but they also knew it was impossible that their relationship would be any more than hidden kisses and cute looks. In that place and time, it was unheard of that a white girl and a black boy be together. In the eyes of others, it was an abomination to be in an interracial relationship; Lily and Zach had to come to accept this fact. One of the Calendar Sisters, June, also cause trouble with Lily. From day one, Lily could tell June was not too fond of her. In her very first few days, Lily over hears a conversation between August and June. August is trying to convince June that they need to let Lily and Rosaleen stay with them. In response to Augustt trying to open June’s mind, June’s excuse for not wanting Lily to be there is, â€Å"But she is white. † Lily was taken aback by this; she had never in her life thought that she, being white, could be discriminates against. Lily could not believe that June did not want her there because of her skin color. Racism took over many people’s lives in The South in the 1960s, and it was a terrible thing that ended many people’s lives. It was a serious problem that added on to the hardships that African Americans were dealing with at that time. In The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd allows her characters to experience and be affected by it.