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In the The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, provide specific examples from the book (provide the quote and the scene) that reflect racism, and...

One example of racism in The Secret Life of Beesis the scene in which Lily hears on television that President Lyndon Johnson has signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Lily doesn't know much about this act, but Rosaleen, her African-American caretaker, is "disbelieving and happy" (page 35). Lily says of the white men at her church, "I knew they would not take this news lying down, not in one million years" (page 36),...

One example of racism in The Secret Life of Bees is the scene in which Lily hears on television that President Lyndon Johnson has signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Lily doesn't know much about this act, but Rosaleen, her African-American caretaker, is "disbelieving and happy" (page 35). Lily says of the white men at her church, "I knew they would not take this news lying down, not in one million years" (page 36), and she likens the Civil Rights movement to a contest between whites and blacks.


Rosaleen is also practicing her cursive writing to register to vote at a voting rally to be held on the Fourth of July (page 44). When she and Lily enter town, three white men heckle Rosaleen, and their harassment intensifies when they hear she is going to try to vote. They comment on the color of her skin, saying, "Did you ever see one that black?" (page 51). When Rosaleen pours the spit from her snuff jug on their shoes, they show "outright fury" and pounce on her (page 52). As Rosaleen and Lily are escorted to the police station, the three men continue to harass them, but the police say that they are unable to stop the men (pages 54-55). One of the men hits Rosaleen with a flashlight (page 56), and a policeman does nothing to stop him. Brother Gerald, the minister, even decides to press charges against Rosaleen for taking fans from the church (page  68), rather than helping Rosaleen when she is in prison. Authority figures, including the reverend and the police, are racist and perpetrate unfairness on African-American people.


When Lily begins to fall in love with Zachary Taylor, August's godson who is African-American, she has to overcome her own racist feelings. She says, "At my school they made fun of colored people's lips and noses. I myself had laughed at these jokes, hoping to fit in" (page 170). She is shocked that she finds him handsome, and she marvels at his good looks and his intelligence. Later, she finds it incredible that she is attracted to Zach (page 183), which she attributes partly to the "mystery of his skin" (page 183). African-American and white people have difficulty even learning to love each other. Zach returns her love, but he reminds her that "there are people who would kill boys like me for even looking at girls like you" (page 196). The Secret Life of Bees is set in a world in which racism is still overt and deadly, though the book portrays the moment at which this world was beginning to change.

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