We discussed the possibility of Lily representing Jesus, or Judas, or both. I personally wasn’t all that fond of Lily throughout the book. She just didn’t appeal to me for a long time. By the end of the book, I liked her better, but she still wasn’t my favorite character. That dislike made me more accepting of the view that she symbolizes Judas. I saw her as a betrayer in one instance when it comes to her relationship with Rosaleen. At the beginning of the book, Rosaleen is the closest thing she has to a mother; she even fantasizes about situations in which Rosaleen could be her actual mom. Once Rosaleen and Lily come to live with August, June, and May, however, Lily’s affections begin to turn toward August instead of Rosaleen. Lily talks to August and spends more time with her helping with the bees than she does with Rosaleen. It’s like she just tosses her relationship with Rosaleen aside. August is the new mother figure in Lily’s life. Rosaleen was the one who was there for Lily when she was little; she was the one who took care of her when she was sick or hurting, and now Lily treats her more like an aunt than a mother. It’s this kind of fickle behavior that makes me more willing to compare Lily with Judas rather than with Jesus.
We discussed the possibility of Lily representing Jesus, or Judas, or both. I personally wasn’t all that fond of Lily throughout the book. She just didn’t appeal to me for a long time. By the end of the book, I liked her better, but she still wasn’t my favorite character. That dislike made me more accepting of the view that she symbolizes Judas. I saw her as a betrayer in one instance when it comes to her relationship with Rosaleen. At the beginning of the book, Rosaleen is the closest thing she has to a mother; she even fantasizes about situations in which Rosaleen could be her actual mom. Once Rosaleen and Lily come to live with August, June, and May, however, Lily’s affections begin to turn toward August instead of Rosaleen. Lily talks to August and spends more time with her helping with the bees than she does with Rosaleen. It’s like she just tosses her relationship with Rosaleen aside. August is the new mother figure in Lily’s life. Rosaleen was the one who was there for Lily when she was little; she was the one who took care of her when she was sick or hurting, and now Lily treats her more like an aunt than a mother. It’s this kind of fickle behavior that makes me more willing to compare Lily with Judas rather than with Jesus.
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