Secret Life of Bee's Literary Techniques

“People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about life"(2). Lily says this in the beginning of the novel during the exposition. This is an important quote because Lily’s life has been profoundly affected by her mother's death. This statement suggests that living with someone else’s death can be more painful that dying. Not only does Lily have to live with the fact of her accidently shooting her mother when she was an infant, she also has to deal with May. May is the sister of August Boatwright. May also had a twin sister named April who was depressed and committed suicide at a very young age. May and April had so much in common. When one of them got sick the other got sick. They were best friends. Throughout May's childhood she had nervous breakdowns and was emotionally insane. The way May expressed her feeling was by writing her emotions and thoughts on a peace of paper and placing them in the "wailing wall."This was the way to calm May down. One day May ends up killing by drowning herself in a river. She left a note saying that she would finally be reunited with her mother and of course her twin, April. This quote may seem irrelevant. Dying is the worst thing in life, but in the eyes of Lily it is not. Lily has experienced a lot of sorrow and sadness in her life. She has come to realize that when someone dies, everyone else becomes closer. In my opinion, this seems like a strange remark but she is wright in a way. You should lament in death but move on and focus on those who still surround you.