The Importance Of Discrimination In The Secret Life Of Bees

1059 Words3 Pages

Too many times in a black man’s life has he walked into a store and be stared at or followed simply because of the color of his skin. In society the weight of your skin is more than your real personality. The way someone is treated should not be based of their skin complexion but by the way they live their life. The negative ideals associated with those of brown complexion are not only a historical yet current problem that the world faces. Sue Monk Kidd is able to relay these racist under tones, which remain relevant to society not only in the past but in the present as well, through trying situations in the book Secret Life of Bees.
If you look back on the time period that the book took place segregation was at its peak. Most blacks and whites …show more content…

Lily dealt with her own form of racism when she believes that her caregiver Rosaleen, was like every other black uneducated person. Lily and Rosaleen were taking a trip to town and both of their lives were changed. Lily witnessed her black caregiver, Rosaleen be beaten by 3 white males for pouring snuff on their shoes. This was an act of violence that 's was not called for and she did not deserve this treatment. The reason for her being beat by these men was because of the color of her skin. The worst part about it was that there was a policeman present when all of this took place and he did absolutely nothing to help. Instead he restrained Lily so she wouldn’t intervene in the assault. This shows how corrupt the justice system was and how they allowed almost anything to happen. The justice system had their own type of laws and in these laws the blacks never came out on top. The men that assaulted Rosaleen were white and they were not arrested nor charged with anything. Rosaleen was arrested for nothing and Lily was set free, then the police tried to charge Rosaleen with stealing fans from the church so she could stay in jail. Police brutality has been trending topic in the media for decades. It has been said that police use excessive force against minorities. All over television there are cases of police killing or using excessive force on blacks and things

Open Document