Queen Latifah and Tristan Wilds on BAN

The Secret Life of Bees is a historical fiction 2002 bestselling novel by American author Sue Monk Kidd. It has received much critical acclaim and became a New York Times bestseller. It was nominated for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction and has been adapted into a film by Gina Prince-Bythewood that stars Shondrella Avery, Dakota Fanning, Hilarie Burton, Alicia Keys, Tristan Wilds, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah. The film will be released on October 17, 2008.

Themes of the Story

Loneliness and the Need to be Needed - In this novel, Lily is lonely at home and feels that she is unloved by her father, T. Ray. However, with the help of August Boatwright, she is able to find that she has many people that love and care for her.

The Search for Identity - Lily is faced with trying to find out who she is because at her home she is not allowed to ask questions about her past. Lily does this in many ways, such as writing down her thoughts in a notebook, and finding her first love, Zachary Taylor. She finds out who she really is when she learns about her mother's past.

Themes---Civil Rights & Racism, Religion, Feminism.

Symbols---Beehives - as in the story the female rules the communities of beehives, just as the Virgin Mary is symbolized as the mother of every person. Like the bees, August creates certain rituals and prayers in order to protect her home and sisterhood.

The Black Madonna - The Black Mary symbolizes a universal mother figure. The Black Madonna acts as a mother to many including all the members of the Daughters of Mary and to Lily, who gives her something to look up to that will never betray her.

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