The Boatwrights are shown to be devoted to their religion, at one point they begin to integrate Lily into the faith as well. Soon enough Lily also becomes committed to the theology, viewing the centerpiece of the religion, the Black Mary, as a mother figure, “I live in a hive of darkness, and you are my mother, I told her. You are the mother of thousands” (Kidd 164). At the beginning of The Secret Life of Bees, Lily is shown to be isolated and to feel as though she has little connection to her peers. She feels lost without the helping hand of a mother, much like a bee is astray without a queen. Now, she has the Black Mary to guide her, she has become one of her many mother figures, or, queens. The metaphor of a hive shows clear connections to bees and their inner workings as a society, she feels connected to those of the same religion, forming a community through it. This heavily contrasts with her feelings without her birth mother, a lack of a mother leading her to be outcasted and have a lack of community. Now, she connects to others well, forming a community through religion, or, her mother
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