Internal Conflict In Little Bee
Conflict results from the tensions between opposing forces in a literary work to generate interest in the plot and characters. In Chris Cleave’s novel, Little Bee, the author explores where individuality lies within a person, as the characters face internal conflict while struggling to define their own identities. Cleave introduces this personal conflict as Sarah describes their personal battles more 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 demonstrates conflict as it arises from differences in culture and through the internal struggles that
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the characters confront. Ultimately, however, the characters are able to set aside their personal battles to assist one another in times of need.
Cleave deliberately uses Charlie as a metaphor of a child experimenting with a superhero persona in order to determine his identity and to make the readers become emotionally invested in the characters. By utilizing Charlie as an example, Cleave introduces the theme of internal conflict to the novel. 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). When Little Bee asks Charlie if he wants to take off his costume, he tells her that he cannot take off his costume because if he is not Batman “all the time,” then his dad dies (223). Charlie is afraid to be Charlie, because he does not want anything to happen to those around him. Where all of the other characters lead complicated lifestyles, to Charlie, life is simple; every one and thing can be categorized into a “goodie” or a “baddie.” After Little Bee assures Charlie that he is going to be all right, and she reveals her real name, Charlie finally removes his entire Batman outfit (265-266). Through Little Bee’s reassurance, Charlie realized he could trust the uncertainty of the future, and that the world would survive even if he were not Batman. Not only does Cleave utilize Charlie to demonstrate the internal conflict that the child is battling of whether or not to be himself, but he also uses Charlie as a lesson in the formation of one’s identity, where the book is constantly asking the reader: who are you? What is your place in the world? By physically putting on a costume, Charlie is testing out an identity in order to discover his true self.
Cleave further explores the theme of internal conflict through Little Bee, who struggles with internal battles due to her Nigerian roots and her immigration to Europe. In order to survive after the men came, Little Bee changed her name from Udo. Little Bee tells Charlie that “to become Little Bee…[she] had to train [herself] to think in a certain way, and to be strong” (225). She wishes she could return to being a village girl, but Little Bee has assumed this “super hero name” to create a new identity for herself in order to survive (225). In addition to a different name to describe her new identity, while in the detention center, Little Bee learns to perfect the Queen’s English in order to assimilate into a new society, and because she realizes that “ to survive [one] must look good or talk good” (6). By becoming almost a “super Brit,” Little Bee distances herself from her homeland and distinguishes herself from the other Africans, such as Yvette, around her. Ultimately, Little Bee yearns for a clean start and to put Little Bee’s story behind her: “I will take a name that suits this city instead…I will not even belong to Little Bee’s story anymore” (220). Cleave elaborates on this idea of disappearing into a new identity when Little Bee says, “even for a girl like me…there comes a day when she can stop surviving and start living” (220). Aside from Little Bee’s quest to determine her true self and her place in the world, Cleave also demonstrates Little Bee’s internal battle with guilt about Andrew’s death. When Andrew steps off the chair to hang himself, Little Bee has to decide whether to call the police and save Andrew’s life, or not to seek help, which will save her own life (195). Little Bee thinks, “I must save him, whatever it costs me, because he is a human being…but I must save myself, because I am a human being” (194). Because she hesitates to make a decision, Andrew dies and Little Bee is left with the guilt of Andrew’s death. As a result, Little Bee feels that she must help “save” Sarah and Charlie in order to redeem herself. Therefore, Cleave exemplifies two internal conflicts through Little Bee’s character, where like Charlie, Little Bee experiments with alternate personas in order to discover her true self, as well as the conflict of deciding whether or not to save another’s life in exchange for one’s own life.
In the novel, Cleave presents Sarah as a person who appears to have everything in order on the outside but who is actually just wearing a mask to hide her disarray on the inside.
Sarah confronts internal conflict over her affair with Lawrence, her role in her husband’s suicide, and her experience with Little Bee on the beach. Andrew hanged himself because he could not live with the guilt he felt after the episode on the beach where he was unable to cut his finger off in order to save the lives of Little Bee and her sister. Sarah realizes, however, that she and her husband would never have been in that position had she not had an affair with Lawrence and suggested that she and Andrew take a vacation to help their relationship recover. Sarah tells Little Bee, “I didn’t lose Andrew, Bee. I destroyed him. I cheated on him with another man” (139). Sarah feels that it was her selfishness that led to the incident on the beach and to Andrew’s ultimate demise. In addition to the affair, Sarah feels guilt about her role in Andrew’s suicide because of her self-centeredness. Sarah recounts the last morning that she saw her husband alive, when “[Andrew] opened his mouth to say something, but [Sarah] was running late and turned away” (30). Sarah also feels unease and guilt at the beginning of the novel because she does not know what happened to Little Bee and her sister after the killers took them away on the beach. As Sarah’s feelings begin to overwhelm her life, Cleave explains the way in which her composed exterior begins to collapse when Sarah tells herself, “the mask was finally cracking…because the biggest thing in your life, the thing that killed Andrew…is something that happened without you” (126). After Little Bee tells Sarah the remainder of what happened to the sisters on that day on the beach, Sarah insists that Little Bee stay with them in London. Even when Little Bee is being deported back to Africa, Sarah follows Little Bee in an attempt to protect her. As
Sarah deals with these personal conflicts, she also struggles to identify who she truly is as a person due to her many personas of widow, adulterer, editor, mother, and potential savior.
By the end of the novel, Cleave unites the story by having the characters settle their internal conflicts and identity discrepancies. Charlie, Little Bee, and Sarah, all interact to help one another solve their personal struggles and to determine who they are as people. Little Bee helps Charlie realize that he does not always have to be a superhero, and Sarah and Little Bee help one another ease the guilt both feel toward contributing to Andrew’s death. By the end of the novel, Cleave shows the reader that not only has Little Bee helped Sarah and Charlie deal with their grief over losing Andrew, but also Sarah tries to help save Little Bee from being deported. Cleave’s demonstration brings about conclusion for the novel by asserting that when a person must confront their inner problems, one’s identity will emerge. In Little Bee the characters learn that loyalty to mankind is more important than loyalty to self, and that by serving this need, one ultimately fulfills one’s own satisfaction. Through this this theme of salvation, both the act of saving oneself and saving others, Cleave reminds the audience of humanity’s obligation to one another as human beings.
In Chris Cleave’s novel, Little Bee, the characters are constantly struggling to determine their identity. By incorporating vastly deviating cultures into the plot, Cleave utilizes these distinctive backgrounds, as well as the ongoing experiences that these characters encounter, to help them discover their personal passions, priorities, and loyalties. Throughout the novel, Charlie, Little Bee, and Sarah all attempt to identify their true selves; however, after peeling back layers of individuality, these characters come to discover that despite conflicting cultures, humanity still remains of the upmost importance, where obligation and salvation to one another is key.
the characters confront. Ultimately, however, the characters are able to set aside their personal battles to assist one another in times of need.
Cleave deliberately uses Charlie as a metaphor of a child experimenting with a superhero persona in order to determine his identity and to make the readers become emotionally invested in the characters. By utilizing Charlie as an example, Cleave introduces the theme of internal conflict to the novel. 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). When Little Bee asks Charlie if he wants to take off his costume, he tells her that he cannot take off his costume because if he is not Batman “all the time,” then his dad dies (223). Charlie is afraid to be Charlie, because he does not want anything to happen to those around him. Where all of the other characters lead complicated lifestyles, to Charlie, life is simple; every one and thing can be categorized into a “goodie” or a “baddie.” After Little Bee assures Charlie that he is going to be all right, and she reveals her real name, Charlie finally removes his entire Batman outfit (265-266). Through Little Bee’s reassurance, Charlie realized he could trust the uncertainty of the future, and that the world would survive even if he were not Batman. Not only does Cleave utilize Charlie to demonstrate the internal conflict that the child is battling of whether or not to be himself, but he also uses Charlie as a lesson in the formation of one’s identity, where the book is constantly asking the reader: who are you? What is your place in the world? By physically putting on a costume, Charlie is testing out an identity in order to discover his true self.
Cleave further explores the theme of internal conflict through Little Bee, who struggles with internal battles due to her Nigerian roots and her immigration to Europe. In order to survive after the men came, Little Bee changed her name from Udo. Little Bee tells Charlie that “to become Little Bee…[she] had to train [herself] to think in a certain way, and to be strong” (225). She wishes she could return to being a village girl, but Little Bee has assumed this “super hero name” to create a new identity for herself in order to survive (225). In addition to a different name to describe her new identity, while in the detention center, Little Bee learns to perfect the Queen’s English in order to assimilate into a new society, and because she realizes that “ to survive [one] must look good or talk good” (6). By becoming almost a “super Brit,” Little Bee distances herself from her homeland and distinguishes herself from the other Africans, such as Yvette, around her. Ultimately, Little Bee yearns for a clean start and to put Little Bee’s story behind her: “I will take a name that suits this city instead…I will not even belong to Little Bee’s story anymore” (220). Cleave elaborates on this idea of disappearing into a new identity when Little Bee says, “even for a girl like me…there comes a day when she can stop surviving and start living” (220). Aside from Little Bee’s quest to determine her true self and her place in the world, Cleave also demonstrates Little Bee’s internal battle with guilt about Andrew’s death. When Andrew steps off the chair to hang himself, Little Bee has to decide whether to call the police and save Andrew’s life, or not to seek help, which will save her own life (195). Little Bee thinks, “I must save him, whatever it costs me, because he is a human being…but I must save myself, because I am a human being” (194). Because she hesitates to make a decision, Andrew dies and Little Bee is left with the guilt of Andrew’s death. As a result, Little Bee feels that she must help “save” Sarah and Charlie in order to redeem herself. Therefore, Cleave exemplifies two internal conflicts through Little Bee’s character, where like Charlie, Little Bee experiments with alternate personas in order to discover her true self, as well as the conflict of deciding whether or not to save another’s life in exchange for one’s own life.
In the novel, Cleave presents Sarah as a person who appears to have everything in order on the outside but who is actually just wearing a mask to hide her disarray on the inside.
Sarah confronts internal conflict over her affair with Lawrence, her role in her husband’s suicide, and her experience with Little Bee on the beach. Andrew hanged himself because he could not live with the guilt he felt after the episode on the beach where he was unable to cut his finger off in order to save the lives of Little Bee and her sister. Sarah realizes, however, that she and her husband would never have been in that position had she not had an affair with Lawrence and suggested that she and Andrew take a vacation to help their relationship recover. Sarah tells Little Bee, “I didn’t lose Andrew, Bee. I destroyed him. I cheated on him with another man” (139). Sarah feels that it was her selfishness that led to the incident on the beach and to Andrew’s ultimate demise. In addition to the affair, Sarah feels guilt about her role in Andrew’s suicide because of her self-centeredness. Sarah recounts the last morning that she saw her husband alive, when “[Andrew] opened his mouth to say something, but [Sarah] was running late and turned away” (30). Sarah also feels unease and guilt at the beginning of the novel because she does not know what happened to Little Bee and her sister after the killers took them away on the beach. As Sarah’s feelings begin to overwhelm her life, Cleave explains the way in which her composed exterior begins to collapse when Sarah tells herself, “the mask was finally cracking…because the biggest thing in your life, the thing that killed Andrew…is something that happened without you” (126). After Little Bee tells Sarah the remainder of what happened to the sisters on that day on the beach, Sarah insists that Little Bee stay with them in London. Even when Little Bee is being deported back to Africa, Sarah follows Little Bee in an attempt to protect her. As
Sarah deals with these personal conflicts, she also struggles to identify who she truly is as a person due to her many personas of widow, adulterer, editor, mother, and potential savior.
By the end of the novel, Cleave unites the story by having the characters settle their internal conflicts and identity discrepancies. Charlie, Little Bee, and Sarah, all interact to help one another solve their personal struggles and to determine who they are as people. Little Bee helps Charlie realize that he does not always have to be a superhero, and Sarah and Little Bee help one another ease the guilt both feel toward contributing to Andrew’s death. By the end of the novel, Cleave shows the reader that not only has Little Bee helped Sarah and Charlie deal with their grief over losing Andrew, but also Sarah tries to help save Little Bee from being deported. Cleave’s demonstration brings about conclusion for the novel by asserting that when a person must confront their inner problems, one’s identity will emerge. In Little Bee the characters learn that loyalty to mankind is more important than loyalty to self, and that by serving this need, one ultimately fulfills one’s own satisfaction. Through this this theme of salvation, both the act of saving oneself and saving others, Cleave reminds the audience of humanity’s obligation to one another as human beings.
In Chris Cleave’s novel, Little Bee, the characters are constantly struggling to determine their identity. By incorporating vastly deviating cultures into the plot, Cleave utilizes these distinctive backgrounds, as well as the ongoing experiences that these characters encounter, to help them discover their personal passions, priorities, and loyalties. Throughout the novel, Charlie, Little Bee, and Sarah all attempt to identify their true selves; however, after peeling back layers of individuality, these characters come to discover that despite conflicting cultures, humanity still remains of the upmost importance, where obligation and salvation to one another is key.