Lily's fulfillment of the "Heroic Journey" in Secret life of the Bees

Many quotes from the Secret Life of Bees express the views of different characters on racism. ” She was black as could be, twisted like driftwood from being out in the weather, her face a map of all the storms and journeys she’d been through. Her right arm was raised as if she was pointing the way, except her fingers were closed in a fist. It gave her a serious look, like she could straighten you out if necessary.” In this quote, Lily describes the Black Virgin Mary, the lord of the Sisters of Mary, and later learns the significance of this statue, which is to look within yourself to find your true, hidden self. When Lily has her earlier conversations with Zach, she has a slight edge of racism in her voice. When Zach tells Lily that he want to be a lawyer, she says: “I’ve just never heard of a Negro lawyer, that’s all. You’ve got to hear of these things before you can imagine them.” However, despite this fact, she supports Zach’s

Watching a film, one can easily recognize plot, theme, characterization, etc., but not many realize what basic principle lies behind nearly every story conceived: the hero’s journey. This concept allows for a comprehensive, logical flow throughout a movie. Once the hero’s journey is thoroughly understood, anyone can pick out the elements in nearly every piece. The hero’s journey follows a simple outline. First the hero in question must have a disadvantaged childhood. Next the hero will find a mentor who wisely lays out his/her prophecy. Third the hero will go on a journey, either literal or figurative, to find him/herself. On this journey the hero will be discouraged and nearly quit his/her quest. Finally, the

In the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, the main character, Lily Owens struggles with the notion that she killed her mother and has to live with her abusive, neglectful father, T-Ray. Throughout, Lily searches for information about her mother and why she left her. Unexpectedly, she stumbles upon new mother figures that play an important role in changing Lily to the person she is in later. The typical sequence of a hero’s journey includes a departure, initiation and trials, and reintegration into society. By the end, Lily Owens developes into a more mature, independent young women after experiencing a difficult childhood.

The archetype of the Hero’s Journey holds a prevalent pattern in the works of “Initiation” by Sylvia Plath, “A & P” by John Updike, and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. These works all follow the 17 stages of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth which are separated in three stages; separation, initiation, and return. The main characters have different characterizations; however, they all follow the basic structure of the Hero’s journey archetype. There are many similarities and differences between the stages that are shown through many context clues and literary devices in each work. The Hero’s Journey archetype expressed in these literary works follow a similar and direct narrative pattern.

Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cat Woman; when you hear the word hero or heroine that is who you think of. The most famous heroes of all time, as well as the not so famous heroes such as Hazel, fit the archetype of a hero; they are all courageous, resourceful, and strong-willed. Most people don’t notice that almost all action/adventure movies and novels are the same. All of their stories fit the archetypal pattern of a heroic quest. A heroic quest consists of twelve steps that the hero completes throughout his or her journey. In this essay, I will be explaining the parallels between Watership Down by Richard Adams and the archetypal pattern of a heroic quest; as well as the parallels between

The Black Mary made Lily think about her life and what could be done to make it better. It made Lily think about the positives and negatives, and that she now had people to relate and connect to.

The Hero’s Journey is a situational archetype of every story made, whether it’s a poem, narrative or film they all tell this Journey.

Taking the time to pick apart the hero’s actions and thoughts can make the journey much more interesting and easier to understand. By understanding the basic characteristics and the stages of the hero’s journey we can not only understand the story more but we can also understand ourselves more. We can learn new ways to relate to heroes and our peers we did not know of before. In conclusion, the hero’s journey is a great way to learn a new lesson or two, learn more about yourself, and be entertained at the same

The theme of hero's journey can be seen in each of the novels I read in various different ways. Each book had their own kind of theme that portrays the theme of hero in a way that connects to the message of each novel. Through their journeys, they learn from obstacles that they have faced them which then leads to show the theme of hero.

There, Lily finds the matching picture that takes her to a family of beekeepers. Moreover, after being accepted into the family of African American beekeepers, Lily finds motherly love from one of the beekeepers, August Boatwright. Although the Boatwrights exists as African Americans, Lily finds more love from them than she had with her own despicable white father. After confiding to August about her favorite color, August does not disappoint Lily by remembering. When a neighbor offers to make Lily a hat and asks what color hat she wants, the novel recites, “August, who was listening in, said, ‘Blue,’ and winked at me”(Kidd 225). Once a person understands every bit of another person, the sheer interest for that person indicates an undying love. In this case, the color blue symbolizes the love that associates with frivolous details. Regardless of color, Lily judges a person’s love whether they pay enough interest in her to know her favorite color. Therefore, the color blue illuminates the theme that “Racism is irrational” and that a person’s sensitivity and genuine care sincerely makes up

The “hero’s journey”, coined by Joseph Campbell, is a pattern in the plot structure of literature, myths, and oral tradition in which the hero is consistently faced with similar obstacles and achieves many of the same goals. The first part of the hero’s journey is “The Call.” The hero is usually living a very comfortable and easy life, unaware of the journey ahead. The hero is then faced with a situation or dilemma which eventually causes them to seek change. The hero, at this point, tends to refuse the call to adventure in fear of the unknown. Once the hero has been given the strength to push past the unknown, they have entered the threshold. The hero will experience many challenges and temptations where the hero is tested, eventually reaching “The Abyss,” the most difficult challenge. The hero is then transformed by these trials and returns home to every-day life and begins to contribute to their society. The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the protagonist, Janie, experiences the hero’s journey first-hand through overcoming obstacles and transforming herself. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the heroine Janie overcomes many obstacles and is therefore transformed into a self reliant woman.

This concept leads Lily to believe that the Virgin Mary is in many ways her mother, even though she is a mother to thousands of other people as well (Emanuel 41). Lily receives support and love from August and the community like the bees, though it is a secret to the rest of the world. The bees act as pathfinders for Lily as she learns more about herself, along with Zach

The novel The Secret Life of Bees takes place at the time that the civil rights act was being signed. This was a time when there was still a lot of discrimination. Although Lily Owens, the main character in this story, gets along with Rosaleen and sometimes sees her as a mother figure she is still in some way influenced by everyone else. In general Lily tries to not be racist but at times she is surprised at things that colored people can do such as colored people being smart. At one point in the story when she starts to have feeling for a colored boy she is surprised because she did not think it could happen.I think Sue Monk Kid made the story take place in this specific time and place because he used the fact that Lily had lost her mom when

hero's journey is not solely “applicable to fiction but also to the journeys that everyone goes

The lily and rose, as forces of conflict, are used by Tennyson to expose the crisis of the monodrama. Alone in a private garden, surrounded by the "slender acacia" and "long milk blossoms," the protagonist mentally beckons Maud to "come into the Garden," thus creating the perfect scene of the Garden of Eden: two souls reveling in the beauty and solitude under a "bed of daffodil sky" (Tennyson 236). From a distance he sees Maud dancing at a party. He describes her as "Queen lily and rose in one” and the “Queen Rose” shining above the other girls at the party as a "rose of the rosebud garden" (Tennyson 236-37). Maud’s floral duality suggest a woman can be "at her most destructive and at her most creative for the man she infuses with her spirit" (Joseph 111). Her sweetness encourages him to give up the hatred he feels for her brother, and the passion she instills in him, encourages his fury. Like many of Tennyson’s women, she is “shadowy and distant,” yet all important as the cause of the conflict “which generates death” (Shaw 221). Although engaged, Maud encourages the protagonist to court her, forcing