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Examples Of Allusions In Secret Life Of Bees

Decent Essays

Biblical Allusion – 1
The Virgin Mary
An allusion is a literary device to express a reference to another piece of media. Allusions are used frequently in A Secret life of Bees to influence the characters personality traits and underlying story themes. In the novel, Sue Mon Kidd uses constant allusions to the Virgin Mary. She writes using Lily’s voice, “Looking back on it now, I want to say the bees were sent to me. I want to say they showed up like the angel Gabriel appearing to the Virgin Mary, setting events in motion I could never have guessed.” Page 2. This is an example of a biblical allusion. The Virgin Mary was the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. She was a 1st-century BC Galilean Jewish woman of Nazareth according to the New Testament and the Holy Quran. In the novel Secret Life of Bees, she is often cited as “the blessed Mary” or “blessed among women” by the followers of Mary.
How does it connect to Lily? …show more content…

“Our Lady of Chains” they call her, she represents the ultimate feminine mother figure, a powerful symbolic representation of comfort, compassion, and strength. “She was black as she could be, twisted like driftwood from being out in the weather, her face a map of all storms and journeey’s she’d been through. Her right arm was raised, as if she was pointing the way, except her fingers were closed in a fist. It gave her a serious look, like she could straighten you out if necessary.” (4.29-30). Lily grieves the loss of her own mother. The death of Deborah Fontanel Owens have left Lily without guidance of a monarchal figure in her life, excluding Rosaleen. Due to her need for a female figure of guidance, she is attracted to The Black Madonna’s prospective to fill that empty gap. When she visits the statue late into the night, Lily thinks: “I live in a hive of darkness, and you are my mother, I told her. You are the mother of thousands.

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