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Deborah Fontanel Owens
T. Ray Owens is Lily Owens’s father, a harsh, cruel man. Although T. Ray was once kinder and gentler, the sudden death of his wife, Deborah Fontanel Owens, throws him into depression and self-hatred, which he takes out on his daughter. Throughout the novel, Kidd shows T. Ray to be a petty, vindictive man, and she contrasts his small-mindedness with Lily’s constantly evolving outlook on life. In the end, Lily’s impressions of T. Ray haven’t changed greatly: she still regards him as a foolish, mean old man. Nevertheless, Lily comes to feel sorry for T. Ray for his misfortunes in life—a clear sign of her maturation.
T. Ray Owens Quotes in The Secret Life of Bees
The The Secret Life of Bees quotes below are all either spoken by T. Ray Owens or refer to T. Ray Owens. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
I used to have daydreams in which she was white and married T. Ray, and became my real mother. Other times I was a Negro orphan she found in a cornfield and adopted.
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Chapter 14
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In a weird way I must have loved my little collection of hurts and wounds. They provided me with some real nice sympathy, with the feeling I was exceptional. I was the girl abandoned by her mother. I was the girl who kneeled on grits. What a special case I was.
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He stood over me. “Deborah,” I heard him mumble. “You’re not leaving me again.” His eyes looked frantic, scared. I wondered if I’d heard him right.
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T. Ray Owens Quotes in The Secret Life of Bees
The The Secret Life of Bees quotes below are all either spoken by T. Ray Owens or refer to T. Ray Owens. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
I used to have daydreams in which she was white and married T. Ray, and became my real mother. Other times I was a Negro orphan she found in a cornfield and adopted.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14
Quotes
In a weird way I must have loved my little collection of hurts and wounds. They provided me with some real nice sympathy, with the feeling I was exceptional. I was the girl abandoned by her mother. I was the girl who kneeled on grits. What a special case I was.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
He stood over me. “Deborah,” I heard him mumble. “You’re not leaving me again.” His eyes looked frantic, scared. I wondered if I’d heard him right.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
