Symbol Synthesizer: Please Identify a few symbols in the book/ track the progress of the symbols, and add comments, "what it means, how it relates" Book Club members: make your own comments with thoughts that you have on this symbol, your opinion on what it means and how it relates.
Chapters 1-3:
Bees - "They crawled on their stalk legs around the curved perimeters of the glass as if the world had shrunk to that jar" (Kidd 28). In this book I think that the jar represents boundaries and limits. It indicates the supression or loss of freedom. Lily is like the bees, trapped in her life unable to do anything she likes. She is in a jar, metaphorically, and as she is trapped there her spirit will begin to damper as the bees in the jar were barely able to fly out when the lid was open. "I heard a voice say, Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open" (Kidd 41). Having the jar open and taking the first chance to leave are completely different things however.
I also think that the blacks in this book are symbolic of the bees. They have limited freedom to, but they are fighting to break free of the segregational bonds as the bees first fought when they were put in the jar. "When i slid on the lid, it went into a tailspin, throwing itself against the glass over and over with pops and clicks, reminding me of the hail that landed sometimes on the windows" (Kidd 10).
Names:
Rosaleen - "little rose"
Lily - "blossoming flower"
T. Ray - no results for T. Ray, however Ray means "wise protector" (maybe he'll change, but at this point in the story I think this name meaning is wrong - this could be a foreshadow to him becomng a dynamic character)
Deborah - "honey bee"
Lily - I think that Lily is like a blossoming flower. In the beginning of the book she is just a bud, she can't become a flower because she doesn't have room to grow. Her father discourages education and and doesn't allow her to make mistakes and learn from them. Even in the beginning she's starting to rebel and become her own person and in a sense her own flower. Shes discovering who she is.
Deborah - Deborah was Lily's mom and she loved her. I think that Lily's mom is like the queen bee. She established order and kept things right in the family or tried to do something when things were wrong. After she died everything fell apart. "The queen, for her part, is the unified force of the community; if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. After a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakeable signs of queenlessness" (Kidd 1).
-Erin
Chapters 6-7:
Oh! Susanna - This song is about traveling to find love. It symbolizes Lily's journey to find Zach and what she can about her mother.
Chains - Everybody has problems. this is symbolized by the chains that inspired the title of Mary, "Our Lady of Chains". For June, it is her marital fears, for may it is her depression, and for Lily it's her guilt.
Obadiah - Obadiah is Hebrew for "Servant of God". This is fitting seeing as he found Mary.
August - August means "Revered". Lily reveres August as a great person and a possible motherly figure.
Tiburon - Tiburon means "shark" in spanish. I think this has do do with the fact that at first, sharks seem mysterious and dangerous. Then, you realize that they aren't very dangerous, they just have the potential to be dangerous. This is much like the possible threats Lily and Rosaleen face by escaping and going there.
Chapters 8-10:
Our Lady of Chains - I think that the black Mary symbolizes the calendar sisters and Rosaleen. Rosaleen is the fist, straight to the point and willing to do the “dirty work”. August is the red heart, generous, loving, and welcoming. May is how Mary sees the good in others. June is how Mary sees the bad in others. Together these four women help to heal and protect Lily, just as Mary did by making her see both the good and the bad in herself.
Bees - I think that the bees are a symbol for Lily’s mother. These bees seem to drive Lily, just like her mother drives her. These similarities are seen when Lily leaves her home, instigated by both the bees and the possibility that her mother isn’t who she seemed to be. I also think this is true because Deborah’s name means “honey bee”.
Cockroaches - I think that the cockroaches could stand for people who are considered scum. I think that the fact that May could not kill them may mean that even though they are “bad”, they still deserve to be treated civilly. (this ties into racial prejudice).
June - The month of June is named after the goddess Juno (Hera). This goddess is the goddess of marriage and the well being of women. This relates very well, seeing as she is the one having marital issues.
July - This is the name Lily believes August wants to rename Rosaleen with. This transfers around to the fifth Month, just like Rosaleen would be the fifth sister if this happened.
May - This month was named after the goddess Maia. This Goddess was in charge of springtime and rebirth. This is important because in the book May brought around the idea of rebirth for Lily.
- Bex
Chapters 10-12:
April - April is the month that has the highest suicide rates. This is a symbol because the character April killed herself.
Honey - I think the honey is a symbol for either love or grow/healing. This is because it helps soothe everyone and it is very influential to the characters in this book.
T. Ray - The meaning for Terrance is smooth, tender, and gracious. I think that his name is a symbol for what he once was towards Lily's mom. However, as of the point in the book I also think it stands as the opposite of what he is.
Picture - The picture of the label on August's honey jars symbolizes hope. This picture gave Lily hope to run away and to find August. Without it she would never have known what to do.
Neil - Neil means Champion. This is extremely fitting because he won June's heart even though it was wounded.
-Bex
Chapters 13-14:
Moon - "I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street. They are the moons shining over me" (Kidd 302). All these women at the end of the book who stand waiting patiently for her are her guardians, they are her protectors. The moon gives light in the night and watches over all people like August and all the other daughters of Mary watch over Lily. This is her family. They have chosen to love her and be there for her and she has chosen them.
Statue of Mary - I think that Mary symbolizes life. She does not just symbolize being alive but living life to the fullest. She reminds them that when its time to die its time to die, but while your heart is still beating than their is time to live. Mary is chained up every year, but in the story every time she breaks free out of her bondage. "Our Lady is not some magical being out there somewhere, like a fairy godmother. She's not the statue in the parlor. She's something inside of you" (Kidd 288). If Mary is something inside of us, than that means that we all have chains that make walls between us and living our lives. These chains create boundaries, but theres hope because everytime Mary is chained up she gains her freedom back again. She breaks her chains. People need to do the same thing. They need to break those bonds that are holding them back, they need to face their fears and then they are free to live.
Honey - "'See, Lily, honey is a perservative. It seals over the comb in the hives to keep it safe and pure so the bees can survive the winter" (Kidd 269). I think that in a way the honey represents love and memories because it perserves things. Lily has been saved by love. She understands it know and feels value through it. Love makes things worth remembering. It represents memories because the past is worth remembering and it should be sealed in our hearts. It should not control our heart but it should be remembered.
Book Club members: make your own comments with thoughts that you have on this symbol, your opinion on what it means and how it relates.
Chapters 1-3:
Bees - "They crawled on their stalk legs around the curved perimeters of the glass as if the world had shrunk to that jar" (Kidd 28). In this book I think that the jar represents boundaries and limits. It indicates the supression or loss of freedom. Lily is like the bees, trapped in her life unable to do anything she likes. She is in a jar, metaphorically, and as she is trapped there her spirit will begin to damper as the bees in the jar were barely able to fly out when the lid was open. "I heard a voice say, Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open" (Kidd 41). Having the jar open and taking the first chance to leave are completely different things however.
I also think that the blacks in this book are symbolic of the bees. They have limited freedom to, but they are fighting to break free of the segregational bonds as the bees first fought when they were put in the jar. "When i slid on the lid, it went into a tailspin, throwing itself against the glass over and over with pops and clicks, reminding me of the hail that landed sometimes on the windows" (Kidd 10).
Names:
Rosaleen - "little rose"
Lily - "blossoming flower"
T. Ray - no results for T. Ray, however Ray means "wise protector" (maybe he'll change, but at this point in the story I think this name meaning is wrong - this could be a foreshadow to him becomng a dynamic character)
Deborah - "honey bee"
Lily - I think that Lily is like a blossoming flower. In the beginning of the book she is just a bud, she can't become a flower because she doesn't have room to grow. Her father discourages education and and doesn't allow her to make mistakes and learn from them. Even in the beginning she's starting to rebel and become her own person and in a sense her own flower. Shes discovering who she is.
Deborah - Deborah was Lily's mom and she loved her. I think that Lily's mom is like the queen bee. She established order and kept things right in the family or tried to do something when things were wrong. After she died everything fell apart. "The queen, for her part, is the unified force of the community; if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. After a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakeable signs of queenlessness" (Kidd 1).
-Erin
Chapters 6-7:
Oh! Susanna - This song is about traveling to find love. It symbolizes Lily's journey to find Zach and what she can about her mother.
Chains - Everybody has problems. this is symbolized by the chains that inspired the title of Mary, "Our Lady of Chains". For June, it is her marital fears, for may it is her depression, and for Lily it's her guilt.
Obadiah - Obadiah is Hebrew for "Servant of God". This is fitting seeing as he found Mary.
August - August means "Revered". Lily reveres August as a great person and a possible motherly figure.
Tiburon - Tiburon means "shark" in spanish. I think this has do do with the fact that at first, sharks seem mysterious and dangerous. Then, you realize that they aren't very dangerous, they just have the potential to be dangerous. This is much like the possible threats Lily and Rosaleen face by escaping and going there.
Chapters 8-10:
Our Lady of Chains - I think that the black Mary symbolizes the calendar sisters and Rosaleen. Rosaleen is the fist, straight to the point and willing to do the “dirty work”. August is the red heart, generous, loving, and welcoming. May is how Mary sees the good in others. June is how Mary sees the bad in others. Together these four women help to heal and protect Lily, just as Mary did by making her see both the good and the bad in herself.
Bees - I think that the bees are a symbol for Lily’s mother. These bees seem to drive Lily, just like her mother drives her. These similarities are seen when Lily leaves her home, instigated by both the bees and the possibility that her mother isn’t who she seemed to be. I also think this is true because Deborah’s name means “honey bee”.
Cockroaches - I think that the cockroaches could stand for people who are considered scum. I think that the fact that May could not kill them may mean that even though they are “bad”, they still deserve to be treated civilly. (this ties into racial prejudice).
June - The month of June is named after the goddess Juno (Hera). This goddess is the goddess of marriage and the well being of women. This relates very well, seeing as she is the one having marital issues.
July - This is the name Lily believes August wants to rename Rosaleen with. This transfers around to the fifth Month, just like Rosaleen would be the fifth sister if this happened.
May - This month was named after the goddess Maia. This Goddess was in charge of springtime and rebirth. This is important because in the book May brought around the idea of rebirth for Lily.
- Bex
Chapters 10-12:
April - April is the month that has the highest suicide rates. This is a symbol because the character April killed herself.
Honey - I think the honey is a symbol for either love or grow/healing. This is because it helps soothe everyone and it is very influential to the characters in this book.
T. Ray - The meaning for Terrance is smooth, tender, and gracious. I think that his name is a symbol for what he once was towards Lily's mom. However, as of the point in the book I also think it stands as the opposite of what he is.
Picture - The picture of the label on August's honey jars symbolizes hope. This picture gave Lily hope to run away and to find August. Without it she would never have known what to do.
Neil - Neil means Champion. This is extremely fitting because he won June's heart even though it was wounded.
-Bex
Chapters 13-14:
Moon - "I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street. They are the moons shining over me" (Kidd 302). All these women at the end of the book who stand waiting patiently for her are her guardians, they are her protectors. The moon gives light in the night and watches over all people like August and all the other daughters of Mary watch over Lily. This is her family. They have chosen to love her and be there for her and she has chosen them.
Statue of Mary - I think that Mary symbolizes life. She does not just symbolize being alive but living life to the fullest. She reminds them that when its time to die its time to die, but while your heart is still beating than their is time to live. Mary is chained up every year, but in the story every time she breaks free out of her bondage. "Our Lady is not some magical being out there somewhere, like a fairy godmother. She's not the statue in the parlor. She's something inside of you" (Kidd 288). If Mary is something inside of us, than that means that we all have chains that make walls between us and living our lives. These chains create boundaries, but theres hope because everytime Mary is chained up she gains her freedom back again. She breaks her chains. People need to do the same thing. They need to break those bonds that are holding them back, they need to face their fears and then they are free to live.
Honey - "'See, Lily, honey is a perservative. It seals over the comb in the hives to keep it safe and pure so the bees can survive the winter" (Kidd 269). I think that in a way the honey represents love and memories because it perserves things. Lily has been saved by love. She understands it know and feels value through it. Love makes things worth remembering. It represents memories because the past is worth remembering and it should be sealed in our hearts. It should not control our heart but it should be remembered.
-Erin