"The Secret Life of Bees" is a textbook coming-of-age story, and students know it. They write that Lily "grows up" or "matures," then move on to the next paragraph. The words sound right and say almost nothing.

Grading these essays well means asking whether a student can actually show the change. Growth is a claim about difference over time, and it only works when the writer proves where Lily started, where she ends up, and what moved her.

This is a slightly different task from a general character analysis. It requires a timeline, and the rubric should reward students who build one.

Here are the pieces worth scoring.

The Before, the After, and the Turning Points

A strong growth essay names a starting point (Lily's belief about her mother, her fear of T. Ray), an ending point (her confidence with the Boatwrights, her ability to stand up), and at least one event that pushes her along the way. Without that middle piece, the essay reads like two snapshots.

• Identifies a specific starting belief or behavior, backed by early evidence
• Identifies a clear later belief or behavior, backed by late evidence
• Explains at least one turning point that causes the change
• Avoids vague labels like "matures" without showing what that means
• Considers what Lily has not fully resolved by the end

Reward Complication

Real growth is uneven. Lily lies, hides, and pulls back even after she starts to feel safe. Essays that acknowledge those setbacks tend to be more persuasive than ones that present a smooth upward line.

Build a row in your rubric for nuance, and tell students what it looks like. A sentence such as "even after this moment, Lily still struggles with..." is a good sign.

Feedback That Builds the Timeline

When an essay stays vague, ask for dates and places: "Which scene shows the old Lily? Which shows the new one?" Students can often answer immediately, and the answer becomes their evidence.

A simple two-column organizer, early Lily and later Lily, is a helpful prewriting tool. It also makes grading faster because you can see the structure right away.

Grading at Volume

Because so many students choose this topic, you will read variations on the same idea dozens of times. Rubric-based tools like GraideMind can check each essay for the presence of a clear before, after, and turning point and draft targeted comments for those that lack one.

That way, your energy stays available for the essays that take an unusual angle on Lily's journey.