The Secret Life of Bees
Normally, I would introduce the book and tell you about each of the three character types. In this post, though, I want to focus on the interaction between the mind and spirit characters in Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees . The book shows how three sisters, May, June, and August, work to transform a fourth character, Lily Owens. May is the body character, June is the mind character, and August is the spirit character in the story. In the following passage, August and June are discussing what to do about Lily, who has just recently entered into their care. The Setup: For those who are unfamiliar with the book or the movie, here is how the story develops up to the interaction I will be breaking down. Lily is a teenage white girl in 1960's South Carolina. Her mother was killed when she was young in a tragic accident, so she lives alone with an abusive father. She runs away with a black housekeeper, who is a fugitive from the law, and winds up with thre...