The Secret Life of Bees Religious Themes Essay

Throughout life journeys and long lessons many people can learn to appreciate the things that matter most. The devastating tragedy of losing a mother at such a young age can affect a person’s life drastically. It can have an impact on the way someone responds with others, thinks, and handles it emotionally. In the novel The Secret Life of Bees Lily loses her mother at a very young age. Without any motherly figures she finds comfort, faith, and support in the Black Mary and the Boatwright sisters. Through Lily’s journey the Black Mary helps to change her, by providing structure in her life. Everyday Lily, Rosaleen, and the Boatwright sisters would gather with one another for the ritual, in which they would pray before the Black Mary. This provided Lily with time to focus on her thoughts and emotions. The structure given by the Black Mary helps Lily stay organized and in a routine. “I reached out and traced Black Mary’s heart with my finger” (Monk Kidd 164). Lily has a physical connection to the Black Mary, which is more then she ever had with her deceased mother. The Black Mary acts as a standing silent motherly figure for Lily because she has a deep connection with it physically and socially. Through prayer she can find comfort and faith in the Black Mary. Later in the

novel, Lily learns the stories of the Black Mary’s past, and it makes her think about the world that she lived in. “I started thinking about the world loaded with disguised Mary’s sitting around all over the place and hidden red hearts tucked about that people could rub and touch, only we didn’t recognize them” (Monk Kidd 142). The Black Mary helped Lily think about her life, as well as what could be done to make it better. The Black Mary made Lily think about the negatives and positives in life, and that she now had something to connect to. The Boatwright sisters accepted Lily into their house and show her protection against the things that she is not ready for. Even though the three sisters