Waking is the first and last sensation a human being ever experiences. At the moment of conception, a human life springs into existence. When a human wakes from life into death, the shadows of sin-stained reality melt into clear purity of existence. Sue Monk Kidd’s “The Secret Life of Bees” and Leo Tolstoy’s “Childhood” tap into the mystery of waking and sleeping. Kidd and Tolstoy explore children’s coming of age, waking from naiveté into maturity.
“The Secret Life of Bees” falls under the bildungsroman category, since the novel follows the main character’s personal maturation. “Childhood” also explores maturation, but in the autobiographical novel form. Tolstoy aligned the child’s growth to personal growth, loosely basing the novel on autobiographical facts. In contrast, Kidd’s novel was fictional, not autobiographical.
The novels’ content differs more widely than the genre. Kidd’s and Tolstoy’s main characters are believable, but view the world through radically different perspectives. Kidd’s protagonist, Lily Owens, is shaped by a loveless father and haunted by a mother’s death. Conversely, love and contentment coddle Tolstoy’s main character, Vladimir. “The Secret Life of Bees” purports to address tragedy, while “Childhood” recounts comfort and ease. The difference between the supporting characters echoes the difference between the main characters. Affection characterizes Vladimir’s tutor; animosity fills Lily’s father.
As might be expected from the divergent time periods and translation, the diction, syntax, and style share little. Tolstoy writes properly lengthy sentences disclosing superfluous as well as necessary details. Details are sparsely chosen in Kidd’s work, serving to mystify rather than clarify; thus, the sentences are shorter and more rhythmic. Kidd adores monosyllabic and simple words, befuddling the reader into believing the story is straightforward. Straightforward syntax and diction are lacking in Tolstoy’s work, but the story is less complicated than “The Secret Life of Bees.”
“The Secret Life of Bees” derives complexity from the protagonist’s tangled anguish. Kidd’s worldview is harsh and stark, striking tragedy straight-on. God enters only as a convention the protagonist has been trained to consider as a source of comfort. But God brings no comfort to Lily. God does not figure directly in Tolstoy’s “Childhood.” Instead, spiritual content creeps into the portrayal of Vladimir’s tutor, Karl Ivanitch. Ivanitch represents God. God and Ivanitch are loving and firm, faithful and upright, worthy of awe and worthy of obedience.
The love in Tolstoy’s work reaches out to lonely and fulfilled readers. Kidd’s harsh, matter-of-fact delivery threatens to alienate readers. The lonely sometimes prefer to remain complacent rather than experience catharsis through pain. The fulfilled readers are repulsed by the death and bitterness expressed so callously from the opening of “The Secret Life of Bees.” Tolstoy, by vividly depicting love, touches the heart’s yearning for affection. Lonely readers are attracted to love; fulfilled readers appreciate an extra dose of affection.
The lonely and the fulfilled can benefit from “The Secret Life of Bees.” Although “Childhood” may be a more comfortable read, catharsis can be more beneficial than comfort. Bottling up emotions stifles the human spirit. The occasional release of pain allows humanity to breathe freer. Better still, pain alerts the spirit to a wrong needing to be righted. Pain may feel like a harsh awakening, but consciousness is to be preferred to comfort. The release of pain wakes the soul from death to eternal life; the release of pain through catharsis can wake the soul from complacency to courage.
“The Secret Life of Bees” falls under the bildungsroman category, since the novel follows the main character’s personal maturation. “Childhood” also explores maturation, but in the autobiographical novel form. Tolstoy aligned the child’s growth to personal growth, loosely basing the novel on autobiographical facts. In contrast, Kidd’s novel was fictional, not autobiographical.
The novels’ content differs more widely than the genre. Kidd’s and Tolstoy’s main characters are believable, but view the world through radically different perspectives. Kidd’s protagonist, Lily Owens, is shaped by a loveless father and haunted by a mother’s death. Conversely, love and contentment coddle Tolstoy’s main character, Vladimir. “The Secret Life of Bees” purports to address tragedy, while “Childhood” recounts comfort and ease. The difference between the supporting characters echoes the difference between the main characters. Affection characterizes Vladimir’s tutor; animosity fills Lily’s father.
As might be expected from the divergent time periods and translation, the diction, syntax, and style share little. Tolstoy writes properly lengthy sentences disclosing superfluous as well as necessary details. Details are sparsely chosen in Kidd’s work, serving to mystify rather than clarify; thus, the sentences are shorter and more rhythmic. Kidd adores monosyllabic and simple words, befuddling the reader into believing the story is straightforward. Straightforward syntax and diction are lacking in Tolstoy’s work, but the story is less complicated than “The Secret Life of Bees.”
“The Secret Life of Bees” derives complexity from the protagonist’s tangled anguish. Kidd’s worldview is harsh and stark, striking tragedy straight-on. God enters only as a convention the protagonist has been trained to consider as a source of comfort. But God brings no comfort to Lily. God does not figure directly in Tolstoy’s “Childhood.” Instead, spiritual content creeps into the portrayal of Vladimir’s tutor, Karl Ivanitch. Ivanitch represents God. God and Ivanitch are loving and firm, faithful and upright, worthy of awe and worthy of obedience.
The love in Tolstoy’s work reaches out to lonely and fulfilled readers. Kidd’s harsh, matter-of-fact delivery threatens to alienate readers. The lonely sometimes prefer to remain complacent rather than experience catharsis through pain. The fulfilled readers are repulsed by the death and bitterness expressed so callously from the opening of “The Secret Life of Bees.” Tolstoy, by vividly depicting love, touches the heart’s yearning for affection. Lonely readers are attracted to love; fulfilled readers appreciate an extra dose of affection.
The lonely and the fulfilled can benefit from “The Secret Life of Bees.” Although “Childhood” may be a more comfortable read, catharsis can be more beneficial than comfort. Bottling up emotions stifles the human spirit. The occasional release of pain allows humanity to breathe freer. Better still, pain alerts the spirit to a wrong needing to be righted. Pain may feel like a harsh awakening, but consciousness is to be preferred to comfort. The release of pain wakes the soul from death to eternal life; the release of pain through catharsis can wake the soul from complacency to courage.
