CHARACTER:
August is like more mother of all three of her sisters June, May, and April. She's the oldest of the three so you would expect her to be. She seem to be a very open minded person an very smart. Around those times blacks, an especially women where considered minority, in other words "lower class". Little did Lily know her mother (Deborah) was practically raised by August.
June is very shut in an stuck up. She seems to look down on every one around her,as if she wants there life to as miserable as hers! To have sisters who are so filled with life, happiness, an energy she seems to be the total opposite of the the other sisters.
PLOT SUMMARY: (CHAPTERS 5-8)
This section of the story really get deep into the whole point an reasoning for chapters 1-4. This seems to be where the "CLIMAX" takes affect. Lily has really became comfortable with staying at the sisters, and she knows deep within she's where she should be, but still hasn't got the information she's been waiting on. She starts to notice some of the things that take place in the home that T.Ray(Father)had told her about her mother. The little bit he did tell her.August decides to take it upon herself to question Lily about this (Deborah)and Lily finds out that all along she was where she should be. She has finally found what she has needed for so long!!
This section of the story,Lily has came to this city knowing no one but Rosaleen who tagged along.She was on a mission to find out any possible fact or information on her mother,an she did just that,everything around her was signs of her mother even down to the bee's,she did know what the purpose of the bees where but as she quoted in the first paragraph "Its like they where sent to me". staying with the sisters really gave Lily a chance to feel the love she has always wanted and a mother figure,she had three women around her that could be a mother to her. This meant a lot to Lily and she know where she belongs an it there with all her "mothers".
In 1993 Sue Monk Kidd started a short story that would eventually become The Secret Life of Bees novel. She had not been writing long but she still had confidence in her writing. After a while she read the short story at the National Arts Club in New York. After that experience she decided to turn the Short Story into a Novel. It took over 3 years to complete the Novel.