The Secret Life of Bees Chapters 1-5 Rev

When Lily first arrives at the Boatwrights' house, she looks around and comes upon the black Madonna. How does the black Madonna make Lily feel?

". . . [she] made me feel my glory and my shame at the same time."

What first lets Lily know she has some prejudice buried inside herself?

". . . all I could think was August is so intelligent, so cultured, and I was surprised by this. That's what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me."

When Lily asks for the silver charm bracelet for her birthday, T. Ray just looks at her and then keeps on eating. What effect does his response have on her?

". . . it caused a kind of sorrow to rise in me that felt fresh and tender and had nothing, really, to do with the bracelet. I think now it was sorrow for the sound of his fork scraping the plate, the way it swelled in the distance between us, how I was not even in the room."

Who was April, and what happened to her?

April was May's twin sister. She was unable to accept society's unfairness, became depressed, and killed herself at age 15.

Identify August Boatwright.

August is the beekeeper who makes the honey that goes into the black Madonna-labeled jars

Lily knows her mother was from Virginia and tells August that she and Rosaleen are headed to Virginia to find her aunt there. What does August say that electrifies Lily?

August says that she is from Virginia, too.

Name the rules for "bee yard etiquette.

Don't be afraid. Don't be an idiot. Don't swat. If you feel angry, whistle. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Send the bees love.

When the dealer hits Rosaleen on the head with a flashlight and Lily screams, what is Mr. Avery Gaston's response?

He puts his hand over Lily's mouth and says, "Hush."

After T. Ray gets Lily out of jail, they have a fight. What does T. Ray say to Lily that "would sink [her] forever"?

He says, ". . . your sorry mother ran off and left you. The day she died, she'd come back to get her things, that's all. You can hate me all you want, but she's the one who left you."

Why does T. Ray make Lily kneel down on the Martha White grits?

He thinks she has been in the orchard with a boy. Kneeling on the grits is her punishment for acting "no better than a slut."

Lily wakes up T. Ray in the middle of the night to show him something. What does she want to show him? Why?

He wakes up the dad to show him the bee's inside the wall and how they are making sounds. Yet, when he walks in the room they aren't making sounds and you can't see them. He gets very mad and becomes rude.

Before Lily went into first grade, T. Ray came to the peach stand to tell her something. What did he want to tell her? Why?

He wanted to tell her how her mother died so she wouldn't hear it from other people at school.

What is odd about the stone wall Lily comes upon in the woods?

It has tiny pieces of folded-up paper with writing on them stuck between the stones.

What is the "wailing wall"?

It is a wall in Jerusalem where the Jewish people go to mourn. They write their prayers on scraps of paper and tuck them into the wall. June and August came up with the idea of a wailing wall to help May deal with her issues.

How do June and August feel about Lily and Rosaleen?

June doesn't want Lily and Rosaleen staying with them. She wants to send them away. August, however, wants to help them, to be patient and see why they have dropped on the Boatwrights' doorstep.

Where do Lily and Rosaleen go after they escape from the hospital? How do they get there?

Lily and Rosaleen go to Tiburon, South Carolina. A black farmer with a load of cantaloupes picks them up on his way to market and takes them within three miles of Tiburon.

How does Lily get Rosaleen out of the hospital?

Lily pretends to be the jailer's wife. She telephones the nurse's station and asks the nurse to tell the policeman at Rosaleen's room that Mr. Gaston needs him back at the jail. When the policeman leaves, Lily and Rosaleen escape from the hospital.

Lily captures bees and puts them in jars to prove to T. Ray that they really do exist. How does she take care of them and how do they fare?

Lily takes care of the bees by placing them facing east every morning so that they catch the morning sun to wake them.

The morning after she is punished for being in the orchard, Lily wakes up late. T. Ray yells at her for not going to work at the peach stand on time. What does Lily understand after T. Ray tells her, "As long as you're under my roof, you'll do what I say!"?

Lily understands that "a new rooftop would do wonders" for her. She understands that she needs to leave home.

After Lily and Rosaleen are dropped off outside of Tiburon, they have a fight and part ways for a short while. How and where do they get back together?

Lily wakes up after dreaming the moon was falling in pieces from the sky. She searches for Rosaleen and finds her naked, bathing in the stream. Lily strips off her clothes and goes to Rosaleen. They apologize to each other. Lily holds her breath, and sinks "as far as [she] could into that shimmering, dark world."

What does May do when an unpleasant topic is brought up? What is the only thing that seems to help her get over it?

May starts frantically singing, "Oh! Susanna." The only thing that seems to help her get over it is to "go to the wall."

Why isn't Rosaleen at the jail when Lily goes back to see her?

Mr. Gaston says Rosaleen had fallen and had been sent to the hospital for stitches and for observation because of a little concussion.

What major event on television captures Rosaleen's total attention?

President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act into law.

How does Lily discover Rosaleen loved her "beyond reason?"

Rosaleen dressed up as a bee and performed a very special "waggle dance."

What items were in the paper bag Lily found in the attic?

She found a picture and a pair of her mother's white gloves.

Where does Lily go first when she leaves home, and how does she get there?

She goes to the jail to see about Rosaleen. Brother Gerald picks her up along the road and takes her there.

For what is Rosaleen arrested?

She is arrested for assault, theft, and disturbing the peace.

Who is Lily?

She is fourteen years old and has dark brown hair. She has a special connection with bees but a bad relationship with her dad. She is lonely and depressed ever since her mom died.

Identify Deborah and tell three "scraps of information" Lily knows about her.

She knows that she was skinny, nice, and had long black hair. She knew her parents were always fighting.

What does Lily do at the wailing wall?

She puts her mother's name on a slip of paper into the wall.

Lily sees something in the Frogmore Stew General Store and Restaurant that shocks her. What does she see?

She sees a picture of a black Madonna that is exactly the same as her mother's.

Why does Rosaleen want to go to town?

She wants to register to vote.

What happened to Lily's mother?

She was fighting with Lily's dad but she was holding a gun in her hand then, she dropped it. Lily then picked it up and shoot her own mother and was depressed and upset ever since then.

Who is Rosaleen?

She works for the Owen's and acts like a mother figure to Lily. She is also there maid and cleans up around the house.

What daydreams did Lily have about Rosaleen?

That Rosaleen turned white and married Lily's dad and treated her life her own daughter.