Theme Of Forgiveness In The Secret Life Of Bees

199 Words1 Pages
The major theme of The Secret Life of Bees is forgiveness, as it is a recurring element in the book. Zach yearns for forgiveness for being arrested: “‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘It was all my fault. If I’d turn in the one who threw the bottle, I wouldn’t have gotten arrested and none of this would’ve happened.’” (204). May pleaded for forgiveness in her suicide note: “Dear August and June, I’m sorry to leave you like this…” (210). Lily opens the book by longing to meet her mother in heaven for forgiveness, and she is constantly looking for a “sign” thereafter of her mother’s forgiveness: “I would pick a tree and say, If a bird lands in that tree before I count to ten, that is my mother sending her sign of love. When I got to seven, I would start