In the book The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Lily is a motherless fourteen-year-old in need of consolation. Her mother's caretaker as a girl was August Boatwright, the lady Lily ends up staying with. Lily lies about her past and while waiting for August to come into her room (so Lily may confess the truth and then ask questions about her mother), she picks up a book. The book is Mary Through The Ages, referring to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. I was not surprised to learn that this book was on August's shelf because the Boatwright sisters host a worship service held by a circle of women called the 'Daughter of Mary' every week in honor of the Virgin Mary. (I, myself, am completely shocked by this religion solely based on idol worship.)
Lily, flipping through the pages, considers the many pictures of Mary. "The big shock, though, was all the pictures of Mary being presented with a lily by the angel Gabriel. In every one, where he showed up to tell her she was going to have the baby of babies... he had a big white lily for her" (Kidd 234). Deborah, Lily's deceased mother, had lived with August before Lily was born. She had obviously been exposed to the Daughters of Mary, and therefore would have known that a lily is the sign of purity in old pictures of Mary and the angel Gabriel.
My assumption is that the author, Mrs. Kidd, intentionally put this part of the book in to give the reader a hint. This is how she came up with a name for her main character, I am sure of it. Mrs. Kidd created an exquisitely detailed story, and she gave each character their own background and elaborate description. The authoress recognizes that nobody is an outsider, but that we all play a small, yet significant part in someone else's story. Lily's story is one of heartache and restoration and the amazing power of love. I truly think she is innocent of her mother's blood, that it was no one's fault but the gun's. Lily may not feel pure, but her mother loved her with innocent and genuine passion.
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3 comments:
Miski this is a great question. It really gets you thinking. I like your answer to it has a lot of meaning towards it. Awsome job!
I love how you found the connection with the book that Lily read and Lily's name. If I hadn't read this post and let it sink in, I probably would have never figured that out. Good eye, Miski! :)
loved that answer miski. i can really tell that you understood what you were reading and put some serious thought into it. :)
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