The book called "the secret life of bees" is a novel about women working and living together to promote the sense of unity and spirituality for women. This book emphasizes the aspects of living together and caring for each other as the characters do. However, there are also certain hateful acts being inflicted upon people, which all the more brings this sense of unity together. There are also certain representations and symbols that the author has hidden a deeper meaning in.
The sense of unity and caring, despite the hate that half the population of South Carolina has for each other, shows its face when Lily breaks her nanny Rosaleen out of jail and they flee toward the unknown. This act shows how Lily cares for Rosaleen and how she is devoid to the conflict all around them. Although this deed is great upon Lily's part, it is probable that Lily, being so young, has not yet been taught the full meaning of this hatred from people older than herself.
A major symbol in the novel is the bees. The bees represent emotions and other representations of life. During the story, at the beginning of each chapter, the author writes a quote from a book about bees, this makes the impression of bees as key signs all the more grander. It is unclear what the full meaning of the bees is; yet it is possible to assume that in another sense their actions (their life and their proceedings while the characters tended to them) follow the outline of the story itself. .
This characteristic is rather different than the others, since it has to do with caring and the common hatred extending beyond normal bounds. When Lily and Rosaleen came to live at August's, August's sister June disliked Lily for the sole reason of this hatred, except that Lily saw the hate directed toward people like Rosaleen, but it had roots within both competing sides. All throughout Lily's staying at August's house, June showed dispassion to Lily.