In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily's father T. Ray sells peaches from his farm in South Carolina. Life for Lily is far from peachy, though, because T. Ray is an abusive, neglectful father who treats his daughter like dirt. T. Ray has some major issues, which he has made no attempt whatsoever to resolve. His wife, Lily's mother, walked out on him years before, and the pain and humiliation still cuts raw and deep. As his wife is no longer around, T. Ray takes out his anger and hurt on Lily, regularly subjecting her to physical abuse. It is largely this abusive treatment that causes Lily to take off with her nanny Rosaleen. Although T. Ray is only a minor character in the story, he is an important symbol of Lily's tortured past and present—from which she must escape.
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