Susan Huynh English 2A Period 3 September 3, 2013

Criminal or Innocent? Have crimes been committed, let it be minor or major, in a persons lifetime? The answer is yes. Many people have experienced being victims and eyewitness of a crime. Every day, the justice system attempts to resolve hundreds of crimes. But at a time where the justice system was less advanced, what happened? In The Secret Life of Bees, there are characters throughout the novel who committed large or miniscule scaled crimes. Justice for the innocent had yet to be in effect, seeing as how segregation was still present. The presence of negatives resulted in horrific consequences. In the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, three characters that present criminal intents include Avery Gaston, Lily Owens, and T. Ray Owens. Firstly, evidence points out that Avery Gaston harbored criminal intents. One piece of evidence is his leniency towards Rosaleens physical state. When Avery took Rosaleen into custody for pouring snuff juice over Franklin Poseys shoes, Avery allowed Franklin to hurt her severely. As Lily recalled from Rosaleens arrest, I dont remember screaming, but the next thing I knew, Mr. Gaston had his hand clamped over my mouth (35). This shows that Avery did not care about how injured Rosaleen was, seeing that she was a colored woman. As a law enforcer, one should follow the rules and policies that come with the responsibility. Franklin should not have been allowed to hurt Rosaleen at all. A second piece of evidence showing that Avery Gaston had criminal intents was his act of lying to Lily. When Lily inquired about Rosaleens condition, he responded with, Your colored woman aint here. I took her to the hospital for stitches. She took a fall and hit her head (44). This shows that not only is Avery not worthy of his title, he is also a dishonest man. To conclude, Avery Gastons crimes were his leniency towards Rosaleens physical state and lying to Lily about Rosaleens condition.

Susan Huynh English 2A Period 3 September 3, 2013

Secondly, evidence points out that Lily Owens also harbored criminal intents. One piece of evidence was her act of shoplifting. When she ran away from home with Rosaleen, they reached a store in which she would steal snuff for Rosaleen. Another piece of evidence is Lilys later status as a fugitive from justice. Lily left her father, broke Rosaleen out of jail, and lived with the calendar sisters who were independent colored women. T. Ray criticized Lily, So youve been here the whole time, staying with colored women (291). T. Rays tone of voice suggests that he is strongly opposed to Lily staying with colored women, who at the time were considered to be completely different people than the white people. Although Lilys intents were for good, her society at the time would view it much differently than the people of todays society, as shown by T. Rays bitter reaction to Lilys lodging at Augusts house. It was an unwritten code for society during this time period. Colored people were not to mix with the white people; in other words, segregation was the best solution to any racial differences. In conclusion, Lily Owens crimes were shoplifting and being a fugitive from justice. Lastly, evidence points out that T. Ray Owens harbored criminal intents. One piece of evidence was his act of physical and verbal abuse, targeted at both his late wife, Deborah and only daughter, Lily. T. Ray left his wife unhappy, unhealthy, and depressed. August described Deborah as practically skin and bone when she first arrived in Tiburon (252). After Deborahs death, T. Ray often forced Lily to kneel down on grits as punishment, leaving her knees swollen with hundreds of red welt, pinprick bruises that would grow into a blue stubble across [her] skin (25). A second piece of evidence was T. Rays act of vandalism in Augusts house. Vandalism is a big crime even in todays life, no matter what race. A third piece of evidence is his neglect of Lilys existence. Some may argue that T. Ray had a paranoia of his late wife. After all, T. Ray did mistaken Lily for Deborah when he finally found her at Augusts house. Even so, there is

Susan Huynh English 2A Period 3 September 3, 2013

little justification in T. Rays actions, if there is any. If he did forget about his only daughter, he would not have at one time smiled at [Lily] in church when [she] was singing with the hymnbook upside down (25-26). Because T. Ray neglected Lily for so long, his actions led Lily to commit her crimes, thus making himself a criminal for unlawful conduct. To put it briefly, T. Rays crimes were physically and verbally abusing his wife and daughter and vandalizing a home. Throughout the novel, three characters all present their criminal capabilities. Avery Gaston was not performing his duties. Lily Owens was a fugitive from justice. T. Ray Owens physically and verbally abused his wife and daughter. Each crimes severity ranged from low profile to high profile. Some crimes are worse than others. Some crimes have justifications. Some dont. Although it is hard to take into account the judicial system in The Secret Life of Bees time setting, one should weigh the weights of both the crimes and justifications. This comes to show that although peoples intentions are for the best, the nature of society is ultimately the one factor that determines the merits of the people.