Influence of August on Lily in "The Secret Life of Bees"

August’s maternal love has a big impact on Lily’s transformations as well as her femininity blossoms unlike under T. Ray’s care. With Lily’s memory of accidentally killing Deborah and the sound of the words breaking into her heart, August holds her close with love telling Lily that she could be loved: “But you’re not unlovable. Even if you did accidentally kill her, you are still the most dear, most lovable girl I know” (242). August tells Lily that everyone makes mistakes and we are all human.

She states that Deborah has made a terrible mistake but she tried to desperately fix it and that shows how much she cares. Just as how Lily thinks she accidentally kills her. At the end of Chapter 12, August states “There is nothing perfect, there is only life.” The world is all made of imperfections and mistakes. And that’s what makes Lily realize that life is full of the unexpected.

As a wall of glass breaks in Lily’s chest as she remembers briefly that T.

Get quality help now

WriterBelle

Verified writer

Proficient in: Free Essays

4.7 (657)

“ Really polite, and a great writer! Task done as described and better, responded to all my questions promptly too! ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Ray told her that Deborah abandoned them, with all the tears and the pain she experiences, she feels the warmth of August: “I was pressed so close to her I felt her heart like a small throbbing pressure against my chest. Her hands rubbed my back… She said, ‘It hurts, I know it does. Let it out. Just let it out’” (238). August loves Lily with maternal care just like how she also took care of Deborah.

Persisting in love for Deborah, August let Lily stay with her. Lily has faults in her rage, sorrows, and lies but despite those qualities, August still loves Lily as she does with Deborah. She took up the motherhood and responsibility for Lily so she can finally get a feeling of being loved and wanted. She also took a risk in taking Lily and Rosaleen in the Boatwright’s household because she loves them.

T. Ray does not express love onto Lily unlike August because he does not act like a good father. In the beginning of the novel, Lily gets caught by T. Ray outside during the night to see the remnants of her mother’s possessions: “I expect this out of boys Lily--you can’t blame them--but I expect more out of you. You act no better than a slut” (24). T. Ray angrily calls Lily a “slut” for sneaking out at night with an unbuttoned shirt and punishes her by making her kneel on grits. This scene delivers T. Ray’s refusal to come to an understanding of his daughter’s inner life. As the flashlight shines on Lily, T. Ray automatically assumes and accuses the worst of her even though Lily was actually going outside just to be close to her dead mother. T. Ray’s punishment also seems especially petty and cruel, emphasizing the injustice of it.

During a little pep talk with herself, Lily recalls her experiences with the pain she has gone through in the past: “In a weird way I must have loved my little collection of hurts and wounds. They provided me with some real nice sympathy, with the feeling I was exceptional. I was the girl abandoned by her mother. I was the girl who kneeled on grits. What a special case I was” (278). Lily realized that everybody has burdens that crush themselves and she wishes she had been loving and smart enough to live a life without regret. She was made with hurts and wounds but manages to keep fighting. She recalls how her mother left her and the misery of living with T. Ray with tears of pain, sadness, and regret. With these experiences, Lily reflects the lesson of learning from your own mistakes which helps you be stronger and that some pain are strong enough to change a person.