The Secret Life of Bees

Detailed Summary & Analysis

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14

Themes

All Themes Race, America, and the 1960s Mothers and Daughters Religion, Guilt, and Forgiveness Lying, Storytelling, and Confession Ceremony and Ritual

Quotes

Characters

All Characters Lily Owens August Boatwright Rosaleen Deborah Fontanel Owens T. Ray Owens May Boatwright Zachary Taylor / Zach June Boatwright

Symbols

All Symbols Bees The Black Virgin Mary The Color Blue The Stone Wall The Moon

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The Secret Life of Bees

Sue Monk Kidd

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Introduction

Plot Summary

Detailed Summary
& Analysis

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14

Themes

All Themes
Race, America, and the 1960s
Mothers and Daughters
Religion, Guilt, and Forgiveness
Lying, Storytelling, and Confession
Ceremony and Ritual

Quotes

Characters

All Characters
Lily Owens
August Boatwright
Rosaleen
Deborah Fontanel Owens
T. Ray Owens
May Boatwright
Zachary Taylor / Zach
June Boatwright

Symbols

All Symbols
Bees
The Black Virgin Mary
The Color Blue
The Stone Wall
The Moon

Theme Wheel

The Secret Life of Bees Study Guide

It's easy to cite LitCharts for use in academic papers and reports.

MLA

Arn, Jackson. "The Secret Life of Bees." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 28 Mar 2016. Web. 22 Nov 2019.

Chicago

Arn, Jackson. "The Secret Life of Bees." LitCharts LLC, March 28, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2019. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-secret-life-of-bees.

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