The Secret Life of Bees | Themes
Race Relations
In South Carolina in 1964, people of different races lived in strictly separate worlds. The Secret Life of Bees is set in the months following the passage of the Civil Rights Act in July of that year; appropriately for that summer, much of the novel is seen through the prism of race. Rosaleen's troubles begin when she is harassed by racists on her way to register to vote, and social conventions of the segregated community keep Zach and Lily from acting on their affection for each other. Our Lady of Chains gets her name because the chains of slavery...
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