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One of the most evocative symbols in The Secret Life of Bees is the picture (and later the statue) of the black Virgin Mary that the Boatwright family idolizes. As August Boatwright explains, there’s a long tradition of depicting the Virgin Mary as a black woman, despite the fact that most of the pictures Lily Owens has seen show Mary as white. August’s point is that it’s important to develop religious icons that “fit” their intended community, and thus a black community will naturally gravitate toward a Black Virgin Mary. The Black Virgin Mary takes on another meaning toward the end of the novel, when August reveals that the statue of Mary isn’t really a gift from God—on the contrary, it’s an old ship ornament, nothing more. August uses this fact to show that the value of the Virgin Mary imagery isn’t related to its literal appearance; rather, the statue and image are designed to instill a sense of dignity and religious passion within worshippers. In the end, then, the Black Virgin Mary is a symbol of the power of religious community, and of humans’ potential to find knowledge and peace within themselves.
The Black Virgin Mary Quotes in The Secret Life of Bees
The The Secret Life of Bees quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Black Virgin Mary. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2
Quotes
“Well, if you ain’t noticed, she’s colored,” said Rosaleen, and I could tell it was having an effect on her by the way she kept gazing at it with her mouth parted. I could read her thought: If Jesus’ mother is black, how come we only know about the white Mary?
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“Well, if you ain’t noticed, she’s colored,” said Rosaleen, and I could tell it was having an effect on her by the way she kept gazing at it with her mouth parted. I could read her thought: If Jesus’ mother is black, how come we only know about the white Mary?
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Chapter 4
Quotes
The lips on the statue had a beautiful, bossy half smile, the sight of which caused me to move both my hands up to my throat. Everything about that smile said, Lily Owens, I know you down to the core.
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Chapter 5
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“Mary smiled at Beatrix, then led her back to her room and gave her back her nun outfit. You see, Lily, all that time Mary had been standing in for her.”
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Chapter 8
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“Well,” August said, going right on with her pasting, “you know, she’s really just the figurehead off an old ship, but the people needed comfort and rescue, so when they looked at it, they saw Mary, and so the spirit of Mary took it over. Really, her spirit is everywhere, Lily, just everywhere.”
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Get the entire Secret Life LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Black Virgin Mary Symbol Timeline in The Secret Life of Bees
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Black Virgin Mary appears in The Secret Life of Bees. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...photograph of her that Lily found in the attic, and a picture of the Virgin Mary, depicted as a black woman, with the words “Tiburon, South Carolina” scribbled on the back....
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Chapter 2
...Tiburon, South Carolina, the town scribbled on the back of Deborah’s picture of the Virgin Mary. As she reaches this decision, Brother Gerald drives by. When Lily explains that she’s headed...
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...when Lily shows Rosaleen the picture, Rosaleen is intrigued by the fact that the Virgin Mary is black.
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Chapter 3
...the time by imagining a reason why Deborah owned a picture of a black Virgin Mary. Lily remembers that only Catholics carry pictures of Mary. There are no Catholics living in...
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...nods. Suddenly, she notices a jar of honey bearing a picture of a black Virgin Mary—the same picture she’s carrying with her! The storeowner explains that the seller of the honey...
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Chapter 4
...house. When they’re alone, Lily urges Rosaleen not to say anything about Lily’s picture of Mary.
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Chapter 5
At night, everyone kneels before the 3-foot statue—a statue of the Virgin Mary—and prays. Lily is confused when the Boatwrights call the statue, “Our Lady of Chains.” August...
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...life, she returns to her convent, where she is shocked to find that the Virgin Mary has been “standing in” for her. Lily doesn’t understand what this story is supposed to...
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Chapter 6
...neighbors come to their house to join in. The group is called the Daughters of Mary, and is made up of black women dressed in bright yellow skirts. When the Daughters...
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August continues with her story. The figure of the Virgin Mary inspired the slaves to break free from their masters and escape. Ever since then, the...
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Chapter 7
...Lily feels an urge to ask June about her mother’s picture of the black Virgin Mary, but she doesn’t out of caution.
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Chapter 8
One day, August tells Lily to glue images of the black Virgin Mary to the honey jars. As Lily looks at these images, she imagines what her life...
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August tells Lily a secret. The black statue in her house isn’t really the Virgin Mary at all; it’s just a figurehead from an old ship. The figurehead has been in...
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...at night, Lily wanders through the Boatwright house. She sees the statue of the Virgin Mary and observes that it looks very different at night: older and more mysterious. She faces...
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Chapter 10
The Daughters of Mary arrive at the Boatwright house with food for May’s vigil. At the vigil, a guest...
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Chapter 11
...lively, and when it’s over everyone goes to the parlor to pray to the Virgin Mary. Afterwards, August touches the statue and sighs, “Well that’s that.”
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...her that today is August 15—the Feast of Assumption (a Catholic holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary and her ascension to Heaven). Lily explains that at her usual church, “we don’t really...
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The rest of the Boatwright house proceeds with work for Mary Day, overjoyed by June’s good news. Lily makes garlands all day, and the Boatwrights offer...
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Chapter 12
...also sees an aquarium that contains honeycomb. Lily finds a book on August’s shelf, called Mary Through the Ages. Inside, she finds depictions of the Virgin Mary from various eras. One...
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...Outside, Lily gives August the “missing piece” of the story: the picture of the Virgin Mary that Deborah carried around. August explains that she gave Deborah the picture shortly before her...
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Chapter 13
...She wonders, “where do I go from here?” She decides to pray before the Virgin Mary statue. Downstairs, she sees the statue, glowing in red candlelight. Lily tries to tell herself...
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In the afternoon, the Daughters of Mary come to the Boatwright house bearing food for the second day of the Assumption celebration....
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The Daughters gather around the Mary statue and bathe it in honey: each woman covers her hands in the honey and...
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Chapter 14
...Deborah’s absence, the Lady of Chains could be a mother for Lily. She adds that Mary isn’t just a statue: she’s something inside Lily. Lily doesn’t understand what August means. Then,...
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...Lily, and now it’s time for her to go home. He notices the statue of Mary, and calls it “something from the junkyard.” Lily quietly asks T. Ray how she found...
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...a “good woman.” Right on cue, August enters the room, followed by the Daughters of Mary. Lily notices that they’re looking aggressive, as if daring T. Ray to try to take...
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...with the Boatwrights. She decorates her room with blue, and goes to the Daughters of Mary meetings. Forrest tells Lily that he’s “working things out” in Sylvan, so that neither Rosaleen...
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...her. She thinks about the day T. Ray left her, and about the statue of Mary—a woman who lives inside her. Lily concludes that she is lucky: she has many, many...
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