The Secret Life of Bees
( Shuler-Donner, Smith, & Prince Bythewood, 2008, 37:12)
The Secret Life of
Bees is a coming-of-age film
about a fourteen-year-old white girl who runs away from her abusive single
father and is raised by a group of black women who become and assume the role
of her collective “mother”.
The Secret Life of
Bees is fundamentally a film
about accepting the past and moving forward from it. Society’s journey from a
racially segregated past to a more integrated and equal present, and Lily’s
journey from searching for her mother to accepting Rosaleen and the Boatwrights
as her mother both occur parallel to each other. A transition away from
patriarchy is also alluded to in that Lily’s growth occurs when she moves away
from the world of her abusive father into the nurturing care of the Boatwright
women. In essence, The Secret Life of Bees is an example of the blend of two
genres, the tween and teen oriented coming of age genre and the “race
relations” genre, which is a broader category of films which cater to multiple
demographics. In essence, the character of Lily Owens is used as vessel through
which the intersection between societal and personal change are examined.
Questions for
discussion:
1.
Despite having many important black characters, The Secret
Life of Bees is primarily a film about Lily Owens, a fourteen-year-old
white girl and her individual growth. How does this affect the film’s goal in
overcoming racism? More broadly, is there a way that the heavily
individualistic lens of the coming-of-age genre can be used to promote genuine
change on a systemic or societal level?
2.
As much as the film centers on race, gender and female empowerment
in particular are equally prominent in the story. Beyond simply going against
mid-20th century gender conventions, is there a greater
significance to young white girl being raised completely by women, and more
specifically Black women?
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