Summary: The Secret Life Of Bees

"The Secret Life of Bees uses the Black Madonna as an important symbol of women leadership. As August tells Lily, "Our Lady is not some magical being out there somewhere, like a fairy godmother. She's not in the statue in the parlor. She's something inside you" (Kidd, 288). This statement is the most important words of wisdom Lily receives throughout the entire novel. The statue in the parlor of the Boatwright home is just that: a statue. Lily learns that it isn't the statue that she needs to give her strength, but the idea it represents. It tells the story of a woman who broke chains, who escaped fate and inspired generations to come. These are the exact things that Lily does to find her new family and break away from T. Ray. "I leaned into