Tragedy, an obstacle most people must face during their lifetime, may make it hard to make the right decisions when experiencing such a horrible occurrence. Sue Monk Kidd, the author of The Secret Life of Bees delved deep into the core of such choices. The internal and external struggles that both characters face creates the mold for the theme, and their actions fill the empty spaces. Though the author expressed the theme through the development of multiple characters, Lily and T. Ray clearly display her vision of conflict, human condition, and the light and dark sides of an individual locked away in their hearts.
Sue Monk Kidd expresses the ongoing external conflict shared between Lily and T. Ray as the death of Deborah. Although the two …show more content…
Ray Sue Monk Kidd expressed the idea of choosing your own fate in the face of tragedy. She introduced the dangers of becoming bitter, and letting anger override your heart through T. Ray and his decisions. T. Ray let the death of Deborah cast a dark cloud over his life, and because of this he ended up pushing his only surviving family member away, his daughter, Lily. He treated her like the dirt stuck to the bottom of his shoes, and refused to show her any form of love. T. Ray received chance after chance to make amends, and yet every time without fail he would shut Lily out without a second thought. Ultimately, T. Ray made his own choice to give up on having a relationship with his daughter, and to remain closed off. In contrast, Monk Kidd displayed the power of surrounding oneself with positive individuals through Lily. Lily yearned for a relationship with her father, and wanted nothing more than to talk to, and confide in him. After he walked out of her life for good, she still had hope that he loved her, and would return one day “I remember thinking that he probably loved me in his own smallish way.” (299). She would tell herself that “..when he drove away he wasn’t saying good riddance; he was saying, Oh, Lily, you’re better off there in that house of colored women. You never would’ve flowered with me like you will with them.” (301). Unfortunately, her attempts to build a relationship with T. Ray remained fruitless in the end. Although Lily lived the majority of her life without parental guidance, she still managed to shift into the light, and remain there. Monk Kidd did this in order to showcase the strength of optimism, she created this identity for Lily in order to encourage others in rough situations to maintain a positive outlook. She brilliantly conveys the message of having an open mind, and not letting oneself submit to the darkness in one’s heart. Lily didn’t let the pain of her mother leaving her, or the