The fact that the black Mary is made out of wood holds significance in the story. First of all, bees tend to hang their hives from trees; they choose to live hanging from wood because they feel safer there than somewhere else, just like the Daughters of Mary feel safe with their black Mary. Putting a hive in a tree lifts it high off the ground so that predators can’t get to it. The black Mary came off of a boat where she was also up high. Her being made of wood also shows the fact that she’s not indestructible. Wood can be burned, or gouged, or eaten by termites. Jesus showed that he wasn’t indestructible when he came to earth and died on the cross (also made of wood). He showed his humanity so that we could better relate to him. I discussed in an earlier post whether Lily better represents Jesus or Judas. I chose Judas for her, but I think that the black Mary represents Jesus. She’s the one who’s viewed as the savior in The Secret Life of Bees. Everyone turns to the black Mary when things aren’t going right because they believe that she’ll be able to fix it just like we turn to Jesus when we’re in trouble.
The fact that the black Mary is made out of wood holds significance in the story. First of all, bees tend to hang their hives from trees; they choose to live hanging from wood because they feel safer there than somewhere else, just like the Daughters of Mary feel safe with their black Mary. Putting a hive in a tree lifts it high off the ground so that predators can’t get to it. The black Mary came off of a boat where she was also up high. Her being made of wood also shows the fact that she’s not indestructible. Wood can be burned, or gouged, or eaten by termites. Jesus showed that he wasn’t indestructible when he came to earth and died on the cross (also made of wood). He showed his humanity so that we could better relate to him. I discussed in an earlier post whether Lily better represents Jesus or Judas. I chose Judas for her, but I think that the black Mary represents Jesus. She’s the one who’s viewed as the savior in The Secret Life of Bees. Everyone turns to the black Mary when things aren’t going right because they believe that she’ll be able to fix it just like we turn to Jesus when we’re in trouble.
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