Ava Tronoski

Mrs. David
HELA 10
14 May 2016
Timed Write Revision
The Secret Life of Bees transcends many common aspects of life in the 1960s. During this time
period, stereotypical gender roles were commonly accepted by many Americans. It was believed that
women should stay in the house and have kids, which was a womans purpose in life. In The Secret
Life of Bees, written by Sue Monk Kidd, Lilys story transcends gender roles through her introduction
to a strong female community and manual labor in the honey-making business.
At the Boatwright house, Lily learns many life lessons from August, June, and May. One lesson
she learns is that women can be independent and strong leaders. A major event where this was shown
was when August tells the story of Our Lady In Chains to the Sisters of Mary. August was seemingly
the leader of this group, captivating all the women with the symbolic tale of freedom from oppression
and strength. Importantly, August mentions that to gain strength one must touch Marys red heart. Our
Lady in Chains is significant because its symbolic of an all-powerful, strong, and pious woman. The
Daughters of Mary worship this statue, bringing together the group and eventually including Rosaleen
and Lily as well. The Daughters of Mary support each other in moments of despair, and help to make
one another strong once again. Ever member of the group hold each other up, empowering every
woman present. This was also seen during Zachs arrest, Mays death, along with many other instances
in the novel. During times of hardship the sisters can fall back on the closely bonded community for
strength and support. This shows how Lilys story transcends typical gender roles because an
empowered group of women was not commonly seen during the 1960s.
In addition to symbolic strength and power, Lily also transcends gender roles through her
physical strength. Her manual labor while beekeeping represents that women are as strong as men. Lily

works alongside Zach, each of them do very similar jobs and are both able to produce a significant
amount of honey. Additionally, this proves the argument that women can do the same jobs as men,
which transcends the social expectations for women during this time. Lilys work with August further
proves this point. August is one of the strongest female figures seen in the novel and she passes down
her wisdom to Lily. August explains to Lily that honey-making was a business she learned from her
grandmother. This shows that the line of successful women goes even further back through history and
that traditions of capable women have always been present. The symbolism of female empowerment
can be seen through nearly every aspect of the honey-making business. From its traditionally femaleoperated roots to the picture of black Mary on the front of the honey jars, this business is completely
centered on powerful and successful women. This is another instance of Lilys story transcending the
gender roles, which were common during this time period.
While staying at the Boatwright house, Lily was introduced to new cultures, peoples, ideas. The
idea of overcoming gender roles that might inhibit Lilys progress was one of the most impactful. Lilys
story transcends gender roles through her introduction to a powerful female community with the
Boatwright sister and the Sisters of Mary. These women accept Lily and Rosaleen and teach Lily that
women are capable of being strong leaders. Additionally, Lilys manual labor alongside Zach and
August transcend the typical stereotype of weak and docile women that was common during this time.
Lily learns that women are strong both mentally and physical, putting down the notion of gender roles
during the 1960s.