Imagery

            In “The Secret Life of Bees,” the relationship between bees and humans is present within the entire novel.  Bees are present throughout the story and are Lily’s guide in her journey of discovering who she really is.    

            Bees symbolize rebirth, exploration, maturation, and personal growth.  When Lily arrived at the Boatwright household she was immediately welcomed, especially by August.  In a way, August was a mother figure to Lily.  The queen bee, the leader of the hive, symbolizes August.  Like August, the queen holds the clan together and is their leader and role model.  As the novel goes on, Lily becomes an accomplished beekeeper which symbolizes her growth as an individual.  The bees guide Lily, accompany her, and drive her forward to learn more about herself. 

            Throughout the novel, the Black Mary that the Boatwright sisters worship is a prominent figure.  She symbolizes the importance in having faith and believing in something larger than life. 

            In “The Secret Life of Bees,” life is often compared to everyday situations.  This interesting writing style is one of the many reasons that this novel is life changing and inspirational. 

The Beginning

The book I have chosen is called “The Secret Life of Bees,” written by Sue Monk Kidd.  So far I am about half way through the novel and I am in love with it.  It is a very intriguing story of a girl trying to find herself and discover who her mother really was. 

The story is narrated from 14-year old Lily’s point of view.  She lives with her horrible father, who she calls T. Ray, as she feels dad does not suit him.  Her very first and only memory of her mother was when she was cleaning out her closet.  T. Ray and Lily’s mother were fighting and her mother grabbed a gun in self defense.  The gun was dropped and 4 year old Lily grabbed the gun off the floor.  As she was handing it to her mother the gun fired and her mother was killed. 

On Lily’s 14^th birthday their maid, Rosaleen, took Lily to town with her.  Rosaleen was black but wanted to sign up to vote.  A group of white men attacked her, calling names and kicking her.  When she tried to fight back the police were called, Rosaleen was arrested and T. Ray had to pick Lily up from the station.  T. Ray was extremely angry and beat Lily, and Lily knew it was time for her to leave town.  She broke Rosaleen out of jail and they escaped to Tiburon, South Carolina.  Lily chose this location because the only thing she had of her mother’s was a picture of a black Mary with the name of this city written on the back.   

When the pair finally reached the heart of Tiburon they stopped at a variety store.  They had no idea where they would go from here but needed food.  Here, Lily saw a jar of honey with a picture of the black Mary.  They got directions to the honey farm and travelled there.  Once they reached the house they met the Boatwright sisters, August, June, and May.  Lily said that her parents had recently passed away and they were looking for their aunt and just passing by.  August welcomed them in to their home and Rosaleen and Lily were invited to stay for as long as they would want.    

            I am really enjoying this novel.  There is a lot of racism in the story so far, and I have a feeling more is to come as Lily, who is a white child, is living with four black women.  I hope the story continues to be amazing and eye opening.