She made it impossible for him to become friends with Daisy only because of her coloured skin tone. Ironically at the end of the story Mrs Preedy applies fake tan to cover her pale skin and make it darker. This shows that Mrs Preedy is a very nasty racist person that mentally hurts both Ben and
Rosaleen, Lily’s nanny is also a key character in this book, as she too escapes with Lily, as they attempt to escape from the hatred they have experienced. In the “Secret Life of Bees” Kidd presents a strong message about racism. The novel is set in 1964, which is right after the Civil Rights Act in South Carolina, Tiburon. African American people still experienced racism; they do not have the right to vote even though the Civil Rights Act has already occurred. Lily’s African American nanny and also her only friend, Rosaleen was trying to vote, but the police put her in jail.
That's what I thought when I looked at the dark circle on the ground. Piss was piss."(88). Lily shows resentment toward the way June was treating her. June doesn't seem to like Lily because of the fact that she is white. Lily also says, "This was a great revelation — not that I was white but that it seemed like June might not want me here because of my skin color.
Without even knowing it, she is being a bit of a racist when she states, “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” (Kidd 121). Lily does not realize she is putting Zach down by saying the statement above. Zach became defensive and stood up for himself, but surprisingly did not hold a grudge. It was more of him teaching Lily a lesson that the most famous and intelligent people do not get where they are
Implying Negroes perceive the ability to strive yet, diminish due to the lack of formal education. On the other hand Miss Tate’s counterpart Lula, devalues the black community by confirming stereotypes. The fact Lula is out-spoken doesn’t necessarily mean she is well-spoken. Her aggressive behavior puts her loved ones at risk. Drowning in her own pool of ignorance, Lula criticizes Jem and Scout’s presence at the black church despite their relation to Atticus Finch, the one lawyer in America self-righteous enough to defend a black man.
Clare's death at the end of the novel gives Irene a chance at living a genuine, free life and she may finally be able to escape from all of the secrets she has been carrying her entire life. Another meaning of the word passing in the novel is the way Irene passed as a heterosexual although she had true feelings for Clare. Though Irene was not expecting these feelings to arise, the realization of how she truly feels allowed her to understand herself more than she ever has and affirm her real identity. Clare has found security in the white culture but desires to feel free and happy in the African American culture again. By passing through Irene, Clare believes she will be able to reclaim her black heritage and return back to who she used to be many, many years ago.
Mrs. Mooney was previously involved in a dysfunctional marriage to a “shabby stooped little drunkard” (61). Similar to her own marriage, Mrs. Mooney indirectly forces Polly to marry for money. Mrs. Mooney is a ruthless character as a result of her previous troubles. Consequently, Mrs. Mooney’s maternal connection with Polly is non-existent, turning their relationship into a business. When Mrs. Mooney is observing Polly’s interactions with young men, she becomes frustrated that “none of [the men] meant business” and considers sending Polly back to her previous job (63).
The beauty standards of white Western culture, the sexual abuse of Pecola by her father, and Pecola’s low economic status have multiplicative effects on Pecola and all aid in her progressive alienation from society as well as her fall towards insanity. Deborah King states that “the experience of black women is assumed to be synonymous with that of either black males or white females” (King 45). It is mistakenly granted that either there is no difference in being black and female than being generically black or generically female. The intensity of the physical and psychological impact of racism is very different from that of sexism. For example, the group experience of slavery and lynching for blacks, and genocide for Native Americans is not comparable to the physical abuse, social discrimination, and cultural denigration suffered by women.
Based off this definition the Anna Todd Jennings scholarship is not being racist. Yes the scholarship is only for white people, but not because Caucasian is the superior race. Daniels says, “The Anna Todd Jennings scholarship is a subtle but nonetheless dangerous expression of racism”. This statement is false because if every race specific concept was addressed as racism, the world would turn mad. Most races have scholarships offered just to them, so having one for white people should not cause a problem.
Irrationality of racism in “The Secret Life of Bees” The irrationality of racism is displayed throughout Sue Kidd’s “The Secret Life of Bees”. Kidd displays all the characters with dignity. She demonstrates the different personalities of whites and blacks during this time. When Rosaleen goes to vote she is harassed for no reason by white men. Lily feels that all blacks are like Rosaleen; uneducated and laborers.