Mental Illness in The Secret Life of Bees Essay Example

As seen in the novel, “The Secret Life of Bees”, one of the main characters named Lily had a very complicated relationship with her late mother, Deborah. Though the true source of Lily’s mental development is debatable, the traumatic events which she faced impacted her overall mental well-being. Her inability to forgive her mother for not loving her and for being left with her cruel father ultimately led to her decision to kill her mother. Enduring traumatic experiences in life may stem from or result in mental illnesses such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety.

Depression is a mood disorder that affects a persistent feeling of sadness or loss. Major life events, such as losing a loved one or a feeling of grief, can be a part of depression. Lily's grief over the death and departure of her mother is mixed with anger and sadness. She is angry after finding out the true reason why her mother left her with her father and also has to deal with the burden of losing her mother. These events likely resulted in depression later in life because she used the rhythm of the river as a coping mechanism to help guide herself through her depressive episodes.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a cognitive health condition triggered by a horrifying event in life. Lily suffered from severe guilt for killing her mother. She had recurring flashbacks to the events that led her to do so. These events and emotions add more and more weight to the already heavy burden that Lily has to carry.  Having to endure such a major event-triggered severe stress for Lily.

Anxiety is a mental disorder characterized by feeling worried or fearful.  These feelings can be recurrent and can negatively impact everyday life. Lily’s anxiety can be seen in numerous events, such as discovering her true identity and being fearful due to how her father treats her.  Anxiety is also the reason why it was so difficult for Lily to fit in and make friends.  All of these events made her feel like an outcast simply because she worried too much.

Enduring traumatic experiences in life has the potential to cause disturbances later in one’s life.  Early experiences of feeling unwanted became a burden that plagued Lily’s ability to trust, love, and respect not only others but herself as well.  This would later resurface in her life when dealing with neglect, abuse, and anger-- all of which negatively affected her mental health. Lily became fearsome and worrisome due to the traumatic experiences she encountered, leading to her inability to feel like she belonged and impacting her everyday life.  She enacted upon her anger and frustrations violently.  The consequences of her action resulted in more grief, sadness, and guilt, thus causing more difficulties in her life.   

Works Cited

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/ 

The secret life of bees. CliffsNotes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/s/the-secret-life-of-bees/summary-and-analysis/chapter

SparkNotes. (n.d.). Sparknotes. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/secretbees/summary/