Unlike many African Americans, June is educated and could play an instrument. 25 of the best book quotes from The Secret Life of Bees, “Please, Lily, you are insulting your fine intelligence. Lying on the cot in the honey house, though, all I could think was August is so intelligent, so cultured, and I was surprised by this. As the coffin was loaded into the hearse, bee hum swelled …. Ray did not think colored women were smart. By using our site you consent to our use of cookies. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is … She’s the mother of every bee in the hive, and they all depend on her to keep it going. … "T-Ray did not think coloured women were smart. His own bees, reborn. July 1, 1964, I lay in bed, waiting for the bees to show up, thinking of what Rosaleen had said when I told her about their nightly visitations. “If you need something from somebody always give that person a way to hand it to you.”. T. Ray replies that he could lie and say she didn’t, but he won’t. Big Mama kept bees, too, right out there in the same spot they’re in today. You have never heard such music, how it made us believe death was nothing but a doorway.”, “Most people don’t have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. T. Ray is Lily's father, a bitter, cruel man who takes his anger out on Lily. The Secret Life of Bees Quotes. when we witness T.Ray's abuse of Lily, Rosaleen's love for Lily and how Lily's teacher makes her realize he r true potential and abilities. In the beginning of the novel, Lily explains how she developed the belief that she was not pretty. T. Ray ends up having a fit of rage where he loses touch with reality and mistakes Lily for her mother. The Secret Life of Bees is a gift, filled with hope.” —Luanne Rice “The stunning metaphors and realistic characters are so poignant that they will bring tears to your eyes.” At the end of the novel, T. Ray and Lily have a final confrontation during which he tells Lily she looks like her mother. ‘It comes from years of loving children and husbands,’ she’d say.”, “Egg laying is the main thing, Lily. It was strange to think about a dead person in the house, but if it helped us say good-bye better, then okay, I could see the point of it.”, “Lily, I like you better than any girl I’ve ever known, but you have to understand, there are people who would kill boys like me for even looking at girls like you.”, “T. just help me please. Although at first screams and argues with him, Lily soon transforms and has a talk with T. Ray in a polite manner. He's unpleasant and abusive to Lily, something she mentions early on: I had asked God repeatedly to do something about T. Ray. T. Ray sits Lily down to talk about how her mother died. Lily describes the moment T. Ray is about to beat Lily, as he has done many times in the past. Throughout “The Secret Life of Bees” we witness the battle and irrationality of racism. Since I want to tell the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white. When I walked behind August in my bee veil, I felt like a moon floating behind a night cloud.”, “Turned on its side, the brick announced a happy bee family, no Ozzie, just Harriet and her ten thousand daughters.”, ″. It is the worst thing that could possibly ever happen to her. There is nothing but mystery in the world ... and we don't even know it. 1. Because “August is a person of such boundless maternal wisdom and generosity…” (Scott 1), Lily overcomes her own racism and lets herself pursue her feelings towards Zach. You know Lily, people can start out one way, and by the time life gets through with them they end up completely different. T. Ray’s harsh words reveal how callous he has become toward his daughter. Still, don't be an idiot; wear long sleeves and long pants. He thinks I’m making them up.” Detailed analysis of Characters in Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees. If you feel angry, whistle. She liked to tell everybody that women made the best beekeepers, ‘cause they have a special ability built into them to love creatures that sting. Sometimes people have a hard time letting death sink in, they can’t say good-bye. “People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about life.” Lily, p.2 Lily says this in the beginning of the novel during the exposition. Ray did not think colored women were smart. ... T. Ray does not believe her, so Lily decides to catch the bees to prove it to T. Ray. T. Ray is Lily's father. After Lily asks T. Ray one last time if she was the one who fired the gunshot that killed her mother, he answers. Can you help me? A vigil helps us do that.’, “If the dead person is right there in your living room, it would certainly make things sink in better. June is very opinionated and doesn’t allow her personal opinions to be waived by the the irrelevant thoughts of others. Menu. ‘Change the world—that’s how we gotta think.‘”, “If this was a man’s world, a veil took the rough beard right off. The gods told him to sacrifice a bull to show he was sorry, and then return to the carcass in nine days and look inside it. Everything appeared softer, nicer. “T. I don’t care what their job is—they know the queen is their mother. “Someone who thinks death is the scariest thing doesn't know a thing about life.”. I looked around me, and it was like seeing everything through a train’s thick window. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. I would meet her saying, ‘Mother, forgive. #1 “T. Please forgive,’ and she would kiss my skin till it grew chapped and tell me I was not to blame. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Ray did not think colored women were smart. I can't find what chapter and page this was on. Lying on the cot in the honey house, though, all I could think was August is so intelligent, so cultured, and I was surprised by this. Don’t mess it up” (210). Aristaeus was the first keeper of bees. . What Are You Mad About. . Some important quotes of the book are. T. Ray sits Lily down to talk about how her mother died. In The Secret Life of Bees Lily’s understanding of race is changing throughout the whole book. Do you have any idea how smart you are?”, “Well if you have a queen and a group of independent-minded bees that split off from the rest of the hive and look for another place to live, then you’ve got a swarm.”, “It’s funny how you forget the rules. He'd gone to church for forty years and was only getting worse. We had to open up our little wall of women to let him through.”, “I live in a hive of darkness, and you are my mother, I told her. Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about.”, ″‘We can’t think of changing our skin,’ he said. The Production Budget for The Secret Life of Bees was $11,000,000. You are the mother of thousands.”. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. explain what this tells you about lily's beliefs, life, and personality. The Secret Life of Bees In Chapter one,we learn that lily calls her father T.Ray instead of daddy, and she believes "people who think dying is the worst think don't know a thing about life." Having bees around was supposed to ensure that the dead person would live again.’, ”‘Oh, yes, Aristaeus. . The Secret Life of Bees Synopsis: Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. T. Ray Owens Quotes in The Secret Life of Bees The The Secret Life of Bees quotes below are all either spoken by T. Ray Owens or refer to T. Ray Owens. “Bees swarm before death.” Rosaleen, p. Since I want to tell the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white. ... “I’m catching bees to show T Ray. Chapter 1 “People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about like.” Lily, p. -Lily said this in response to her mother’s death. At this point we’ve come to understand that T. Ray’s abuse toward Lily is rooted in this resentment. Not from people out there talking. . This quote shows her realization … What Are You Glad About? He took them home to his hives, and after that people believed that bees had power over death. It always left me aching, but I never thought about what it did to you. Secret Life of Bees. The kings in Greece made their tombs in the shape of beehives for that very reason.‘”, “This was a great revelation—not that I was white but that it seemed like June might not want me here because of my skin color. June also had control of many situations in her life adding to the overall powerfulness of June Boatwright. ... Lily Owens : [to T. Ray] My whole life has been nothing but a hole, where my mother should have been. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father T-Ray, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. This is an important quote because Lily’s life has been profoundly affected by her mother’s death. She’s the mother of thousands.”, ″‘Good riddance,’ he said, and moved toward the door. Since I want to tell the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white. So Lily tells her about T. Ray and begins to sob when she says her mother left her. Don't swat. Published: November 8th 2001. That’s what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me.”, “But I will tell you this secret thing, which not one of them saw, not even August, the thing that brought me the most cause for gladness. He clearly has not worked through his grief at losing his wife. T. Ray may be an abusive father, but he feels concerned enough for Lily’s well-being to prevent her from being hurt by rumors. “July 1, 1964, I lay in bed waiting for the bees to show up, thinking of what Rosaleen had said when I told her about their nightly visitations. A moving wave of color. Every beekeeper should know that story . Learn all about how the characters in The Secret Life of Bees such as Lily Owens and August Boatwright contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. . Pg 63,Chapter 3, the Secret Life of Bees After leaving T. Ray, Lily has the opportunity to see how other people live. From August, Lily learns that T. Ray was once deeply in love with Lily's mother, but they were totally unsuited for each other in social background and personality. When you purchase books using links on our website, Bookroo or its affiliates may receive a small commission (at no added cost to you). Since I want to tell the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white. The source of that anger is Deborah's abandonment. Every time a rumor got going about a group of Negroes coming to worship with us on Sunday morning, the deacons stood locked-arms across the church stems to turn them away. The Secret Life of Bees – Excerpt. “Someone who thinks death is the scariest thing doesn’t know a thing about life.”, “Putting black cloths on the hives is for us. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd The Secret Life of Bees is a book by author Sue Monk Kidd. Borrowed from Tess Lily had to find the courage not only to leave her father, but to also overcome sexism, open up to August, and follow her dreams as a writer. IMPORTANT QUOTES - QUOTATIONS . The Secret Life of Bees (2008) Dakota Fanning as Lily Owens. “ Still, I couldn't let the matter go entirely-T. Ray thinking I was so desperate that I … After Lily screams that her mother will protect her, T. Ray laughs and casually drops a shocking claim that Lily’s mother left her. THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES BY SUE MONK KIDD . Your support helps us continue to discover and share incredible kids books! August holds her close and lets her cry. “Knowing can be a curse on a person's life. Readers may infer that perhaps T. Ray’s anger toward Lily stemmed from this tragic accident, placing such a violent and unlikable character in a more human light. "T-Ray did not think coloured women were smart. T. Ray has no understanding of Lily and makes no effort to: T. Ray just rules Lily with a brutal dominance. He suspects she’s outside with a boy when she is actually sitting alone in the grass huddled with her mother’s belongings. When Lily’s fierce-hearted black “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. You didn’t mean it, but it was you.”, “August said, ‘We sit with her so we can tell her good-bye. Sobbing, Lily explains about T. Ray half-killing her and about Rosaleen's bruises. We loved them in the Lord, Brother Gerald said, but they had their own places.”, ″. Last night the television had said a man in Mississippi was killed for registering to vote, and I myself had overheard Mr. Bussey, one of the deacons, say to T. Ray, 'Don't you worry, they're gonna make 'em write their names in perfect cursive and refuse them a card if they forget so much as to dot an I or make a loop in their y' (1.208). The Secret Life of Bees I needed all the help that fashion could give me, since no one, not a single person, had ever said, “Lily you are such a pretty child,” except for Miss Jennings at church, and she was legally blind. “T. Edition: Penguin, 2003 . The Secret Life of Bees Quotes Showing 1-30 of 311. Don't even think about swatting. Don’t be afraid, as no life-loving bee wants to sting you. ‘I am not one of you,’ I thought.”. Pg 63,Chapter 3, the Secret Life of Bees After leaving T. Ray, Lily has the opportunity to see how other people live. A blur passed before me. T. Ray tries to soften the blow by reassuring Lily that she didn’t mean to fire the shot, signaling his softening toward her. Things between T. Ray and Lily intensify after Rosaleen goes to jail, and they end up in a tense and violent argument.