Why does august tell lily

Click to see full answer. Hereof, what does August tell Lily about her mother? August tells Lily that when she agreed, she expected Deborah would come visit with the baby—the young Lily. When she arrived, however, August explains, she was alone. Lily is very disturbed by the idea that her mother left her behind. Lily says that she hates her mother , which upsets August.

Subsequently, question is, what does Lily find on the brush? Lily finds a strand of her mother's hair on the brush. Lily reads the poem by William Blake that her mother had underlined. She believes her mother is the rose, and that she, Lily , is one of the invisible worms that flies in the night. August shows Lily a beehive that's missing a queen bee. As they look at the hive , August reminds Lily of the story of the runaway nun.

The point of the story, August claims, was that in Deborah's absence, the Lady of Chains could be a mother for Lily. She adds that Mary isn't just a statue: she's something inside Lily. August teaches Lily important lessons about patience, love, and forgiveness. Rosaleen is very sensitive but admits she knew things and never told Lily because she did not want to hurt her.

At noon, the Daughters of Mary arrive with food for the second day of the Mary Day ritual. Lily asks August to tell Zach her true story. Everybody bathes the statue in honey, a preservative, to keep it safe.

There is also a picture of Lily as a child with her mother as a young woman. Looking at the picture, Lily comes to realize that maybe her mother did love her after all, although in a more complicated way than Lily originally imagined.

Lily has been on a long journey throughout the course of the novel. Not only has she been searching for an escape from her oppressive upbringing, for a maternal influence, and for the truth about her mother, she has also been searching for a confidant and a friend, someone to whom to tell the truth about her life. In August, she finds all of these things, plus a mother figure. When Lily first arrived, August sensed that Lily was not ready to learn the truth about her mother.

August let Lily find her own way to asking about her mother. And, when this time finally comes, August provides Lily with a sensitive ear—and with the pure truth. But the climatic conversation also answers important questions for readers. Ray lying? Away from T. Ray, developing a strong sense of self, and feeling love and loved, Lily is now ready to hear the truth about Deborah.

Lily is keeping lots of secrets from the Boatrights, but they, too, have secrets. They distract May from painful events for fear she will be overwhelmed. And August keeps secret her disbelief of Lily's stories. But most of all, Lily is seeking to find out the secrets surrounding her mother's life and death. These secrets parallel the title of the novel and the idea that both bees and humans have complex lives that are difficult to understand. Racism is again a motif in this chapter.

When June protests that Lily is white and that she should not stay there, Lily realizes that June does not even know her. The idea that racism is senseless prejudice that fails to take a person's character into account is a new awakening for Lily.

Each similar event slowly breaks down the barriers of Lily's upbringing. Kidd emphasizes in this chapter that passing a law may simply increase violence without changing social conventions. The violence of the s and the inhumanity of racism are continued in evening news broadcasts that recount various cruel and brutal events. May's intense reaction to these programs underscores the inhumane treatment of human beings for each other and their callous disregard of their victim's humanity.

This chapter also begins to dig deeper into the religious aspects of the novel. Lily and Rosaleen join the Boatrights' evening prayers, including the repetition of the Catholic "Hail, Mary. August's use of the story of the nun who ran away from the convent is a diplomatic and subtle way to give Lily an opportunity to talk about her own flight.

It also connects the idea that religion offers an opportunity for hope. Asking Mary for help will surely make Lily's life easier. However, at this point Lily decides she is going to keep her own counsel. Previous Chapters As a character, August is the living symbol of these new feelings, sensations, and experiences for Lily. Like Lily, August understands the power of storytelling to tell truths without pointing fingers or instigating direct confrontation. This ability to tell stories links August and Lily immediately and fundamentally.

August uses narratives to understand the world around her. The story August tells Lily about Beatrix the nun has three purposes: First, August uses the story to entertain Lily and to make Lily like and trust her. Second, August uses the story to teach Lily a lesson about leaving—and returning—home. Third, August uses the story to impart to Lily some of her religious faith and trust in the divine. Of course, Lily tells her own story in The Secret Life of Bees, using her unique voice note that the novel is told in the first person.

Lily tells her story to the reader, much as August tells stories to Lily. Throughout the novel, many stories will be heard, told, and retold, a reminder not only of the importance of storytelling but also that the novel itself is a story. In this section of the novel, Lily learns a lesson about racism and prejudice.

Until this point, she has understood racism as an act whites committed against blacks. She reveals her racism to the reader when she thinks of herself as naturally smarter than Rosaleen, despite the fact that she is a child and Rosaleen is a grown woman with much life experience.

A product of her environment, Lily believes that she, as a white person, will always be better or smarter than a black person. Lily is totally shocked that June would not be able to see beyond her white skin and into the personality beneath—and she starts to see that people are people. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook.