The Spirit of The Secret Life of Bees
by Laura Major

No literary work would be complete without the exploration of spirit and inspiration as it is the foundation of the human condition. It is the search for emotional peace and preservation that that fuels teenager Lily Owens, played by I Am Sam star Dakota Fanning, to leave her abusive father behind and explore the town of her recently deceased mother in Sue Monk Kidd's 2002 New York Times best seller The Secret Life of Bees. Finding a surrogate mother in her African American nanny Rosaleen, played by Oscar-winning actor Jennifer Hudson, Fanning said of the movie's spiritual side, "I love that the spirituality in the movie kind of everyone can relate to no matter what your religion is or what you believe...especially for my character and Jennifer's character as well, who really didn't have a lot before they came into the [Boatwright] house."

Spirituality is often more than who you worship but also how you see and accept yourself as a part of creation.  When Ella Curry, Literary Publicist and CEO of EDC Creations asked Director Gina Prince-Bythewood about the movie's potential impact on society, she had this to say, "You know Rosaleen who was a nanny, she doesn't have an education and she's got all her money that she uses to straighten her hair on the weekends...in the Boatwright house...they all got natural hair...and after a while you see her hair change...she's got natural hair like them...just the belief that we [are] beautiful in the way that we're created and I would love for people to get that from the film."

While there is much fear associated with breaking from social expectations in the southern communities of the 1960's, often what challenges us also fuels our spirit. When asked what message he hoped his character would convey, the 90210 star, Tristan Wilds said, "When the shield [from the world] was broken and he [my character] felt like he couldn't love or he couldn't show his feelings towards Lily anymore he still pursued it. To pursue what you want no matter what kind of obstacles in your way." That is a universal truth that bolsters the spirit regardless of religious persuasion.

In an industry where most movies are geared toward a certain demographic, the broad-audience appeal of The Secret Life of Bees has the potential to touch the secular as well as the faith-based community. When asked why Christians should support this film, The Debaters star, Nate Parker stated, "I think that while it doesn't specifically say Jesus, it deals with the spirit and the heart and I think that every Christian can relate to that." Recognizing the strong roots of faith in the African American community, Parker continued, "I think it's a positive film in the black community that the church can get behind to inspire kids..."

The Secret Life of Bees comes full circle with a blossoming girl's search for self and her place in the turbulent multicultural world around her.

Listen to a live interview with Queen Latifah discussing the movie

About Laura Major:  Laura Major is a multicultural fiction author and freelance writer residing in the greater Phoenix area of Arizona. Her first novel, Mismatched was published by Amira Press in February of 2008. Laura also manages a multicultural website, Sable Lit Reviews.com, one of the few of its kind providing commentary on the multicultural impact of current events as well as multicultural book reviews.

View site map page          Back to the magazine