Secret Life of Bees Book Report

Some girls grow up without a mother, but they don’t know how lucky they are that they don’t have to live with the feeling of guilt and remorse that Lilly Owens has to live with everyday. Everyday, since the age of four, Lilly has to deal with the regret of killing her own mother, Deborah. On December 3, 1954, in the small town outside of Sylvan, South Carolina, a normal day turned tragic. Deborah Owens was trying to escape from home with Lilly in her hands, hoping to abandon her abusive husband, T. Ray. [pic] The situation turned physical when T. Ray tried stopping Deborah from leaving.Lilly saw that her beloved mother was in need of help. In an effort to aid her, she retrieved the gun. Lilly picked it up and BANG! The noise exploded, and ended Deborah’s life. The whole town found out about how Deborah Owens died and looked at Lilly a different way. She was neglected by her father, and teased by several schoolmates. Her father continuously told her how her mother was leaving Lilly that devastating night. Although she refused to believe T. Ray’s accusation, Lilly felt unloved by everyone: her father, her friends, and even, at times, her deceased mother.Her only friend was her black maid, Rosaleen. After getting into trouble, she and Rosaleen, ran away. Lilly tried to find the true story of what happened that night her mother died. R. I. P. Deborah Owens, December 3, 1954. Mother of Lilly Owens, wife of Terrence (T. Ray) Owens. In 1964, the Civil Rights Movement allowed for African Americans to speak up against injustices and demand equality. Although this movement allowed for African Americans to vote, they had a lot of trouble doing so. [pic] In The Secret Life of Bees, Rosaleen, Lilly’s black maid, decided to vote for the first time.Two white southerners stopped Rosaleen in her path, and began taunting her. After spitting â€Å"snuff† on their shoes, Rosaleen was beaten up and demanded to apologize. Rosaleen refused to apologize, landing her in jail with stitches and several injuries from the white men. Although the Civil rights acts tried to give equality to African Americans, many white’s refused to acknowledge these new laws. The South was known for outbursts from white people, who tried to hinder African American’s search for equality. The 1960s was a time for change, whether our nation was ready or not.