not advise it. It's like kneeling on crushed glass.)  The only "mother" in Lily's life is Rosaleen, an African-American, who is a kind of housekeeper/nanny who has no children but does love Lily and try to protect her.  Lily's worldview is constructed from her surroundings, and so she holds a low opinion of African-Americans, aspires only to work in a beauty shop, and is crippled by what she does not know about her mother and her mother's death. 

When Lily and Rosaleen run away to Tiburon, South Carolina, Lily is following the only clue she has about her mother, a wooden plaque that has pasted upon it a picture of an African-American Mary or Madonna and the name of this town on its back. Lily and Rosaleen are lucky enough to make their way to the Boatwright sisters, August, June, and May, who keep bees and make their living selling honey.  They meet a whole cast of characters through the Boatwright sisters, including the Daughters of Mary and Zach, a young African-American who works for the sisters and wants to be an attorney.  It is here that Lily solves the mystery of her mother and her mother's death, learning that her mother had run away from T. Ray and that Lily herself, accidentally, was responsible for her mother's death. This journey's end is a transformational one for Lily in many ways. 

As she lives with the Boatwright sisters and slowly falls in love with Zach, she looks within herself and examines her prejudices about African-Americans, coming to understand that they are people like any others, with the same feelings and thoughts as white people.  This alone would be an extraordinary transformation in that time and place, but Lily also grows as a person as she confronts her own role in her mother's death and learns that marriage and love are more complicated than she had understood. 

She learns that her mother was trying to leave, that her father was trying to stop her mother, and that somehow, in the midst of that fray, Lily accidentally shot her mother and she died.  She learns that the Boatwright sisters had taken her mother in and tried to help her heal from what seems to have been severe depression, as well as an unhappy marriage. This allows her to have some insight into her parents, which is a sure sign of maturity.  She is learning not to judge so much and to understand that relationships are complex, not easily reducible to good or bad.  In effect, she is working on forgiving herself and forgiving her parents for being what parents inevitably are, imperfect.  At the same time, Lily is also becoming a more fully engaged person.

Lily is offered a new form of spirituality and meaningful work at the Boatwright house.  She learns how to care for the bees and very gradually becomes absorbed into the spirituality of the household through the Black Mary, a figurehead from a ship that symbolizes freedom for the Daughters of Mary, and in a way, freedom for Lily, too, since she is breaking the chains of her unhappy past. She comes to understand that she can be a writer, something that one teacher had suggested, but that she had thought an impossibility until she meets Zach, who encourages her to go for it and leads by example with his own plans to become an attorney. 

The forces that send Lily on the run expose her to a new world, one that helps her grow as a person in so many ways. She learns about love. She learns about prejudice. She learns about empathy. She learns that families are not perfect and that they can be created by bonds other than blood.  She gains spiritually and intellectually.  And at the end of the book, she is well on her way to being a happier, wiser, more fully engaged human being. 

Keep in mind that a dynamic character is simply one who grows and changes throughout the book, rather than remaining stagnant.  Lily, as a fourteen year old at the opening of the story, has much growing up to do, both as a result of her age and her circumstances.

The best way to fully answer this question, is to look and perhaps jot down some characteristics of Lily at the beginning, middle, and end of the novel.  She starts out as a somewhat timid (but certainly not cowardly) girl who's sense of self is wrapped up in a dead mother and an emotionally distant father.  In short, she does not feel loved by those around her, and therefore, does not love herself.  She does, however, have the capacity to understand she can change her circumstances, and so she runs away with Rosaleen.

Lily changes while living at August's house, and though gradual, the changes are distinct.  They could almost be tracked chapter-by-chapter.  Chapter 12, however, is one of the biggest turning points (both in the story and in Lily's character).  In a conversation with August, Lily finally admits her guilt about her mother's death, and inability to love herself.  When August points out how many people do love her, it is as if a light finally penetrates the darkness that has been clouding her vision.  She begins to build a confidence that can only come from self-love.

Finally, her changes are manifested in the final chapter of the book, when T. Ray arrives to bring Lily home.  More than likely, had he appeared earlier, Lily would have timidly (and pitifully) gone with him, believing there was nothing she could do about it.  However, given the changes in her heart and life, Lily is able to stand up to T. Ray and tell him she's going to stay with August.  In this moment, Lily displays a sense of calm confidence and independence she possibly did not even know she had inside her, which could only be the result of her relationships and experience with August and the other other women who helped Lily define herself.

Young children tend to see (perceive) things as either good or bad. They are not able to comprehend the gray areas between the two. Lily's mother died of a gunshot wound when Lily was only four. Her memories of the shooting were confused and filled with the guilt of her picking up the gun and it going off. Later, Lily had frequent daydreams about a loving mother and her subsequent motherly actions. When her mood was bad (after her father told her that mom had deserted her), she would think the worst of her mother. Until Lily was able to open up to August, she never knew the reasons her mother left. As August shows Lily a hatbox of possessions her mother had left behind and relates the events leading up to her mother's death, Lily is now able to understand her mother's actions. Since Lily is now experiencing the first stirrings of love in her relationship with Zach, her maturity has ripened to the point that she understands her mother's motives. Perhaps she will even forgive herself for the tragic accident that has marred her life.

As is the case in life, there are few people we come into connect with who do not influence us.  Lily was influenced early on by her father, suffering from his abuse and lacking a positive role model (either male or female).  The abuse of her father influences Lily to rely on Rosaleen, her caretaker, and she embraces Rosaleen's view of the world.  She relies so much on Rosaleen, that she helps Rosaleen to escape after being arrested.  While this is not her only reason for leaving Sylvan, it certainly is the circumstance she needed to do so.

Leaving Sylvan eventually brings Lily to August, who becomes a mother figure to Lily.  August teaches Lily to respect herself and to embrace faith, which allows Lily to slowly let go off the negativity she has always lived with.  This "letting go" is what Lily needs in order to begin to grow and mature as a woman.

In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, Lily Owens is influenced both positively and negatively by many other characters. Let's do some brainstorming of points you might include in your essay.

First, you should spend a paragraph discussing how Lily has been influenced by her mother. This is probably one of the strongest influences in her life even though her mother died when Lily was four. Lily feels a range of curiosity, resentment, and guilt when it comes to her mother, and this has very much shaped her as she grows up. You should discuss how Lily's mother is the one who essentially sets Lily on the path of discovery that she takes in the novel.

You might also spend some time talking about how Lily is influenced by other people in her home. Her father is certainly a negative influence in her life, but Lily learns how to stand up to him. Rosaleen is another strong influence, this one positive, for she has become like another mother to Lily, and it is the attack on her that spurs Lily to start her journey.

Finally, you should write a paragraph on the influence that the Boatwright sisters and Zach have on Lily. There are both positive and negative elements here. Lily develops feelings for Zach, but he rejects her because of their different races. August gives Lily important truths about her mother that Lily must process and cope with. May ends up drowning herself, showing Lily what despair looks like.

Your first paragraph should be an introduction with a hook to catch your readers' attention and a thesis statement that presents your claim. Your final paragraph, your conclusion, should restate your thesis and leave your readers with a point to ponder.