Essay, The Secret Life of Bees

”The queen, for her part, is the unifying force of community; if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. After a few hours, or even less they show unmistakable signs of queenlessness” – Quotation from chapter one from the book “The secret life of bees”.

A queen could be and become many things. She who attend to be the queen is special, powerful and clearly respected by others around her. A queen is not someone who is better than the rest. The queen is someone who can see the better in the rest, and use it, connecting it together for the best. The ones who live among the queen trust her, and remain faithful to their over headed. The queen has a magnificent force to rule a whole community of soul, even if it is bees or human beings, because she can relate to them no matter what, through her contact based on love.

The first chapter from the book is a presentation of Lily, the main character in the book. Lily is a 14 year old white girl from South Carolina. Early in the book we get informed about Lily’s tragic position in the family. Her father, T Ray, acts against her as pure evil. Her father practically had forgotten the role of being a father because he is not giving her any kind of attention as long as it don’t give him something to earn out of doing it. If he loves her I don’t know for sure, but I do believe that no man can live without feelings rushing through them, but he sure as hell don’t love her the way a father should love a daughter, because a father’s love should be unconditional. On the other hand, poor little Lily do not even have a mother to fill in all her lacks between her and her father. Lily’s mother, Deborah, died when Lily was 4 years old. T Ray, Lily’s father, blames Lily for murdering her own mother, which is sad, because who can accuse a 4 year old girl for taking someone’s life on purpose, rather it is true or not?

Lily thinks a lot about her mother and how she was, and how they were together, but unfortunately she do not remember anything from before the day she died. The only memories Lily had from her mother were a picture, some gloves and another picture of a black Mary. Lily adored her mother without remembering a lot, just knowing, and hoping that she was her mother’s only loveable child. She thought of her mother as special, powerful and she respected her more than anything in her life. When she looked at the picture of her mother, she often wondered how it would have been if she was still alive, and if the reason for she not being alive really was her fault or just something T Ray said to assault her and have someone to put the blame on.

Lily senses her mothers’ absence, and she feels like a part of her and her daily life is missing just like the workers do when their queen is absent. Deborah, Lily’s mother, was Lily’s queen. Her mother was her queen, and now when she is absence and not around her anymore, Lily remain longing for some missing parts to get filled up. - Even though her mother can never be replaced. The quotation mentioned in the beginning of this essay is a very good description and a pointer to what the first chapter might be about. While reading the chapter it gets to you very fast that the quote has actually something to do with the context of the chapter, it is not just a “little extra” for the book.

What might be the opposite between the bees and Lily is that she will manage through life despite her lack of her mother – or queen, it just needed to be some time for healing. Lily, as a 14 year old girl will face problems and also conflicts with herself that might have something to do with her mother, and at that time it would be very good for her to have someone who could step in to help her trough the practice things as a role model as a mother for Lily. – This shows further on in the book as we get to learn more about Rosaleen who is her maid and nanny, and also August which is the lady who makes the honey. The most important thing for Lily, especially since she is so young is to grow and try not to conflict with herself. She has to take the best out of it and learn how to become independent. It will give experience to stumble and fall a little bit just like the rest of us do, while learning. She might fall hard sometimes, and then she can trust herself to the ones who remain around here, such as Rosaleen and August. She does not need to trust herself to them as her mother, but rather for who they are. Because then she can achieve the courage to one day act all on her one, being her own queen.

I think that the way we relate to others even if it is between humans or not, is a description of individual values. As the bees see the queen powerful and highly respected, she becomes special for them who can see her looking back at them as a part of what she represent. Lily look up to her mother even though she do not remember almost anything, but knowing that Deborah was her mother, and she was her daughter, ended the doubt of not belonging anywhere. She will always be her mother’s daughter. To be a part of something, just some kind of fellowship is something that we all try to achieve at some point. The book, “The Secret Life of Bees” has during an ok novel pointed out a clear red line trough values and requirements. While reading between the lines you can see Lily as a lost little worker trying to find back to her hive longing to find her absent mother, her queen.