The Secret Life Of Bees Character Analysis
Permanent Solutions aren’t Always Bad
When faced with the idea of suicide, a common saying is, “Don’t solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution”, but in the case of May, it may have saved her from a lifetime of suffering. May Boatwright, in the novel “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd, has bipolar disorder, a mental disorder marked by alternating periods of elation and depression. It is so severe that she eventually commits suicide. May’s history of mental illness stems back to the loss of her twin sister, April, at a young age. Even though May’s life ended so sadly, she leaves a lasting impression on everyone who was involved in her life by showing kindness and a willingness to always help others, even at the end of her life.
May’s personality seemed very simple. She was very easy to please and just as easily tore down into a spiral of sadness. August told Lily when she asked why August painted the house pink just to make May happy, “Well I don’t know. Some things in life, like the color of a house, don’t really …show more content…
“It’s my time to die, and it’s your time to live. Don’t mess it up.”(210) May always seemed to be upset by the fact that June refused to marry Neil. August later points out to Lily that “Life gives way into death, and then death turns around and gives way into life.” (206) June is slightly shoved in the right direction and realizes she was being ludicrous by refusing to marry Neil. Even when May was in so much pain. She was thinking about other people’s happiness.
May Boatwright in “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd, is such a caring and loving character that is haunted by the weight of the world. As Lily said even before meeting May, “People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about life.”(2) May’s heart was broken everyday that she was living and finding relief was not a selfish act of suicide but a final solution of peace for
When faced with the idea of suicide, a common saying is, “Don’t solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution”, but in the case of May, it may have saved her from a lifetime of suffering. May Boatwright, in the novel “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd, has bipolar disorder, a mental disorder marked by alternating periods of elation and depression. It is so severe that she eventually commits suicide. May’s history of mental illness stems back to the loss of her twin sister, April, at a young age. Even though May’s life ended so sadly, she leaves a lasting impression on everyone who was involved in her life by showing kindness and a willingness to always help others, even at the end of her life.
May’s personality seemed very simple. She was very easy to please and just as easily tore down into a spiral of sadness. August told Lily when she asked why August painted the house pink just to make May happy, “Well I don’t know. Some things in life, like the color of a house, don’t really …show more content…
“It’s my time to die, and it’s your time to live. Don’t mess it up.”(210) May always seemed to be upset by the fact that June refused to marry Neil. August later points out to Lily that “Life gives way into death, and then death turns around and gives way into life.” (206) June is slightly shoved in the right direction and realizes she was being ludicrous by refusing to marry Neil. Even when May was in so much pain. She was thinking about other people’s happiness.
May Boatwright in “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd, is such a caring and loving character that is haunted by the weight of the world. As Lily said even before meeting May, “People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about life.”(2) May’s heart was broken everyday that she was living and finding relief was not a selfish act of suicide but a final solution of peace for