The Impact of Racism in Sue Monk Kidds The Secret Life of...

In Sue Monk Kidds The Secret Life of Bees, the main character runs away from home, to get away from her father. Her mother died when she was little and she was told she had a part of her death. She finds a picture of her mother and a town name is mentioned on the back of it. This is where she runs off to to find more about her mother. Lily the main character realizes that racism has a big impact in her life through the relationships with the boatwright sisters, when she runs away to Tiburon. In the beginning Lily is very oblivious to racism in and around her life. During her time in Tiburon Lily experiences herself being a minority and in the beginning she has trouble coping with it. In the end she realizes the impact of racism†¦show more content†¦This is when she can sympathize for all the racism and segregation they receive. She now sees the impact of racism on her life, when she meets the Boatwright sisters. Lily learns about racism when she experiences what it feels like to be a minority. She doesnt quite understand how hard it for Rosaleen because she has never been a minority. This is when Lily can really feel for all the african americans. A police officer comes to visit the boatwrights home, and says to Lily, â€Å"Im just saying its not natural, that you shouldnt be†¦well, lowering yourself†(198). Here Lily realizes the racism from the police officer and doesnt know how to handle it. She has taken the sisters as people just like anyone else. The police officer doesnt want Lily to hang around colored people because he believes a white person should not lower oneself to them. Lily knows that they are just like any other person. Because she has the knowledge of being a minority herself, she can sympathize for them when other are racist. Lily has grown as a person because she has learned to deal with racism and learn the effects. When the officer tells her again to l eave he explains why, he tells her, â€Å"These are colored people here. You understand what im saying†(198). She was mad at the officer as soon as he said this. Here she has learned the effects of racism. She gets mad at segregation because she has been treated as one of them as she treats them just like anyShow MoreRelatedThe Spiritual Growth of Lily Owens in The Secret Life of Bees1630 Words   |  7 Pages The Secret Life of Bees delineates an inspirational story in which the community, friendship and faith guide the human spirit to overcome anything. The story follows Lily Owens, a 14 year old girl who desperately wants to discover the cause of her mothers death. Her father T. Ray gives her no answers, which leads their maid, Rosaleen, to act as her guardian. Together, Lily and Rosaleen run away to Tiburon, South Carolina and find a welcoming community. 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