The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd features a young white girl, Lily, who lives with three African-American sisters, the Boatwrights. . The novel takes place in Sylvan and Tiburon, South Carolina, in 1964: it is high time for the civil rights movement. Throughout the novel, Lily sees a lot of racial injustice, but if the novel had taken place after the civil rights movement, it would not have had the same effect, because racial discrimination was not as prominent at the time. 'era. Even if the novel had taken place before the civil rights movement, it still would not have had the same effect, because before that there was little push for civil rights and little talk of racial progress in the media .Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay After May's death, a police officer asks Lily, "Didn't you have any white people to stay with in Spartanburg?" (page 197) and “They are people of color […] it’s not natural, you shouldn’t… well, lower yourself” (page 198). This shows how African Americans were viewed in 1964; the policeman found it strange that a white person lived with a black person. On the other hand, if this happened after the civil rights movement, it would not be uncommon for blacks and whites to live together. Therefore, if the story had not taken place at that time, the police officer's words would not have had the same effect as they did. Lily's love interest, Zach, was an African-American teenager. Throughout the novel, Zach refuses Lily's advances because he knows that society would object to them being together. For example, after Zach gives Lily a notebook, Lily throws her arms around him and leans into his chest to hug him, but Zach pulls her away and tells her, "There are people who would kill boys like me even for looking at girls like me. you” (page 135). Kidd's use of the phrases "girl like you" and "boy like me" suggests that Zach is referring to their racial differences. They can't be together because Zach is black and Lily is white. If this had been written after the civil rights movement, it would not be uncommon for interracial partners to be present, so this quote would not present the same picture of racial discrimination and Zach's concerns would not have given the reader the same understanding. On one point, Lily says, “We had a rumor that a busload of people from New York City were showing up to join the city pool. Talk about panic. We have a city-wide emergency on our hands, for there is no greater affliction to our Southern spirit than Northerners coming down to improve our way of life. (page 155) The setting of the story is key to this quote because it was the only time the North and South of the United States felt this way about each other. Kidd wouldn't be able to include this part if she changed the setting. Losing this line would have taken away from the meaning of the novel, because not only does it provide an accurate depiction of one of the racial issues of the time, but it also shows how Lily's point of view is changing. This line has a sarcastic edge to show that Lily knows what they want her to think, but she finds it ridiculous. Finally, at a dinner party, the characters discuss a real person, Jack Palance. Jack Palance, a Caucasian celebrity, brought a non-white woman into the white section of a theater. This angered many Caucasians at the time. He was not socially acceptable.