Within the historical world created in Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, one of the many underlying influences in Sylvan is that of prejudice and bigotry . Many figures within society are not what they seem. The official church transmits the message of hope to everyone, to everyone who is not African American. Likewise, the police protect people's rights, unless the people are African American. Even a child's innocence and goodness can be tainted by what society values. In The Secret Life of Bees, the society depicted demonstrates that racism is not only widespread, but also lurks where you least expect it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When the word “just” comes to mind, the people associated with it are usually those who apply justice; after all, justice should be blind. Although the justice system has the best intentions in the world of the novel, it seems to have become corrupt; the main enforcers of the law, the police, appear to be infected with racism. This is clearly demonstrated when Rosaleen is beaten senseless by racists in the prison cell: “After you left, that policeman called, let those men come in for their excuses… two of them held my arms while the other hit me” (Kidd 46). Another example comes when Zach is arrested. Even though he didn't do anything wrong, and the real culprit could have been anyone, the police decide not to check everyone but to round up all the blacks and send them to prison. While justice must be served objectively, there is no objectivity in this Southern society. Rather, prejudice against African Americans is so strong and prevalent that it completely clouds the judgment of law enforcement. The men who are supposed to see that the scales of justice are balanced deliberately put justice out of balance. While the term justice is associated with the police, innocence quickly becomes associated with children; there is nothing more innocent than the unaware nature of a growing child. That goodness, however, can be touched, and sometimes even overcome, by subtle and pervasive behaviors that gradually seep into the mind. Lily discovers these underlying negative factors when she first meets August: “All I could think was that August was so smart, so cultured, and I was surprised. This is what made me realize that I had some prejudice buried inside me” (78). Lily, who does not consider herself racist, always tries to keep an open mind towards others; she was even raised by Rosaleen, who is African American. Despite these factors, Lily still harbored prejudicial thoughts about a group of people she came into contact with after her mother's death. In Southern society, those who believe they are free from prejudice are not; they just seem that way because everyone else is so much worse. In this vision of society there was truly no escaping the pervasive nature of racism. The Church is considered a sanctuary cleansed from secular events. Everyone is equal in the eyes of God and because God's love is open to all, the Church is the place to go for equal opportunities. However, the pervasive nature of racism distorts this message of equality into one of bigotry. Lily explains the status quo: "Whenever a rumor got around about a group of Negroes coming to worship with us on Sunday morning, the deacons would stand arm in arm on the church steps to ward them off" (Kidd.