Wisdom And Heroism Of August In Sue Monk Kidd's Novel The Secret Life Of Bees

Heros are just ordinary people who sacrifice their freedom or their comfort for the betterment of others. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a novel about a young girl named Lily. Lily’s story starts while she is at her home with her abusive father T-Ray and her nanny Roselean. Lily decides to run away from her home with her nanny in search of her Mother, after a short scuffle with the law. She and Roselan found their way to Tiburon, South Carolina where they meet Boatwright sisters: May, June, and August, who change their life forever. The sisters depict a considerable amount of sympathy to Rosaleen and Lily by allowing them to commute alongside them, even though they just met.

During that time Lily discovers the blunt truth about her mother leaving her. In the novel August portray the mother Lily never had by guiding, and caring for her countless times throughout the novel. In The Secret Life of Bees August exemplifies a hero because she is wise, and caring.

First things first, wisdom is a necessary attribute for a hero, it could guide others to become the best version of themselves, such as Lily. Throughout the novel, August assists Lily in her journey of finding a mother with her essential trait of wisdom.

One day, August takes Lily out to the hives and have a talk with her about her wants and wishes. During this day, August explains how “most people don't have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don't know anything about” (148). August is teaching lily about society and how everyone has secrets of their own; Lily uses this knowledge to relate to her daily life of secrets towards the sisters.

Another symbol of wisdom August has shown is her affection towards everything. When August first took Lily to bee house, Lily was afraid of getting stung by a swarm of bees while her and August are beekeeping. To calm her down August said “act like you know what your doing even if you don’t. Above all send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved” (92). In this scene August is teaching lily a valuable lesson, which is to provide love to those who need it. This advice helps Lily to be less afraid of bees, and learns to love them as well as anything that frightens her.

To sum this up, August is a hero because her wisdom influenced the lost soul, Lily, with her wisdom to become a better person.