Little Bee by Chris Cleave

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Struggles result from the strains between conflicting powers in a literary work to captivate the reader in the plot and characters. The novel Little Bee, authored by Chris Cleave, exploits the individuality that lies within a person, as the characters have a person vs. self and also a person vs. person conflict while pursuing their own identities. Cleave introduces an internal conflict as Sarah defines their personal battles in depth: “The summer my husband died—we all had identities we were loath to let go of. My son had his Batman costume, I still used my husband’s surname, and Little Bee…still clung to her name she had taken in a time of terror” (p. 22). Cleave reveals conflict as it comes from different cultures and through the search of self that the characters challenge. Although the characters have their own issues, they are able to stall their self-conflict in order to aid another person.
Cleave uses Charlie as an image of a child adopting an alter ego in order to find his self and to force the readers to become considerately devoted in the characters. Cleave uses Charlie as the basis of the theme of internal conflict. “The summer after his father’s death, Charlie refuses to remove his batman costume unless it is bath time, and he will not answer to any other name other than Batman” (21). Little Bee asks Charlie if he wishes to take off his uniform, he tells her, that he does not because if he is not Batman “all the time,” then his dad dies” (223). All of the other characters lead complex lives, to Charlie, life is easy; every one can be regarded as a good or a bad person. Little Bee reveals to Charlie her real name in a successful effort for Charlie to not be Batman. Through Little Bee’s assurance, Charlie realized he c...

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...ve Little Bee from being deported. This climax concludes the novel by affirming that when a person must face their inner self, their true identity will transpire. The characters learn that by making the effort towards the good of mankind over self, they will achieve their own satisfaction. Using the theme of salvation, Cleave prompts the readers of their obligation to one another as human beings.
The characters in Chris Cleaves Little Bee are in a constant search for their individual identity. By mixing different cultures and their respective experiences, Cleave makes the most of these differences to help the characters find their personal identity. Throughout the novel, the characters yearn to find themselves; but from their time together they learn that humanity is still priority and the obligation to one another to better mankind is more important than a finger.

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