Symbolism In The Secret Life Of Bees

Bees hide an entire colony within their hives, they hide little cities and communities. The book, The Secret Life of Bees, shows a lot of symbolism that relates to bees. In this book, written by Sue Monk Kidd, a 14-year-old named Lily Owens has memories of pulling the trigger on her own mother as a child. Her abusive father who goes by T-Ray makes her life miserable. Lily runs away with her caretaker Rosaleen to the Boatwright sisters, whom live on a honey farm. They take her in, and teach her about beekeeping and the Black Madonna. Bees are symbolism of unity, social roles, and how life is a cycle in The Secret Life of Bees.

When Lily first arrives at the Boatwright household, she is almost immediately welcomed in. There are few questions asked, and even when they are, the Boatwright sisters are accepting of Lily. She tells the sisters that she and Rosaleen ran away from home, and one of the sisters, August, says, “‘Well, you can stay here till you figure

At first, Lily is new to many of the tasks involved with beekeeping and the black Mary. Slowly, she begins to know what needs to be done, and what is expected of her. She must pull her own weight, and help the Boatwrights with the honey-making business. This is much like what happens in a beehive. August tells Lily that, “‘every bee has its role to play’” (Kidd 148). As August says, bees have their own social structure, with different types of bees doing various tasks, that allow the hive to function properly. If all of the bees are not doing their respective jobs, production can slow to a halt. All the people in the Boatwright household are similar to different types of bees. All of them have different roles that are critical so that everything operates smoothly. Lily has her own role, and she realizes this. She starts to work with the August and the others, and completes the social structure of the