Blog #7

This summer, I read another book for English class called "The Secret Life of Bees." It contained several subtle arguments, mainly the difficulty of living with an abusive father, segregation, and religious views. The main character, Lily, has no Mother, but instead lives alone with her Father who is very strict and punishes her for the slightest things. The book describes Lily's pain when she realizes her Father doesn't truly love her, and so she runs off to live somewhere else. Her nanny (who has taken car of Lily since she was born) goes with her. Along the way the nanny, who is black, is often mocked and mistreated by white people, even put on jail! They eventually arrive at the Boatwright sisters' house, a group of sisters who make their living from bee farming. They have their own religion that basically revolves around a statue of Mary that they believe rescued them from slavery years before, and protects them from harmful incidents. All of these scenarios argue the author's opinion about the effect they have on people.