The Secret Life of Bees Freedom and Confinement Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

You could say I'd never had a true religious moment, the kind where you know yourself spoken to by a voice that seems other than yourself, spoken to so genuinely you see the words shining on trees and clouds. But I had such a moment right then, standing in my own ordinary room. I heard a voice say, Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open.

In a matter of seconds, I knew exactly what I had to do— leave. I had to get away from T. Ray, who was probably on his way back this minute to do Lord-knows-what to me. Not to mention I had to get Rosaleen out of jail (2.72-73).

This is the moment in which Lily resolves to "free" herself from T. Ray. She likens herself to the bees she had trapped in a jar, who also took a little while to realize that they were free to escape. Her next step is to liberate Rosaleen from a more literal (and dangerous) prison.

Quote #5

'I can't just leave,' she said. 'I'm still in jail.'
'If you stay here, those men are gonna come back and ill you. I'm serious. They're gonna kill you, like those colored people in Mississippi got killed. Even T. Ray said so' (2.129-130).

Here, Lily is trying to convince Rosaleen to go along with her plan for breaking her out. She reminds Rosaleen she's still in danger from the men with whom she fought (who, because they are friendly with the jailer, were able to gain enough access to her to beat her up while in "custody").

Quote #6

'They called her Our Lady of Chains because she broke them' (6.79).

Here, it's obvious enough that August is explaining the origins of the statue's name. Our Lady is a gigantic symbol of escape and perseverance in the novel, and her power extends beyond the context of slavery in which she originally gained significance.