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I had imagined they were sent as a special plague for T. Ray. God saying, Let my daughter go, and maybe that’s exactly what they’d been, a plague that released me (Kidd 151).

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The bees brought a sense of comfort / a family Lily never had, they were a sign from God that she’s meant to do more in life, served as a sense of hope from God. They also represented a plague, like the swarm of locusts in the Bible, which kept getting sent to a Pharaoh by God. This shows that there was more in Lily's life to come.
#SignFromGod

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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 Virgin Mary, setting events in motion I never could have guessed (Kidd 2).

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The angel Gabriel went to Nazareth with a message for Mary, he told Mary she would have a son, the bees were sent as a message to Lily of the life ahead of her. Both Lily and Mary did not expect the coming of these things.
#UnexpectedFutures

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I nearly finished a glass of juice before I let myself look at the little highway of broken graham crackers and marshmallow bits that May was constructing across the floor, how it started at the sink and angled toward the door,… ‘The roaches will follow this out the door,’ May said. ‘It works every time’ (Kidd 172).

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The significance of May Boatwright’s name is the connection to the Roman Goddess Maia. Maia is known for being a nurturer and earth goddess. She is often seen taking care of animals and nature, similar to the way May was opposed to killing the roaches in their house.
#RomanGoddessMaia

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‘Hell,’ he said, ‘I came over here planning to ask you, for the hundredth time, to marry me.’ … June stared at Neil, and I could see the struggle in her face. The surrender she had to make inside. Not just to Neil but to life. Finally she let out a long, sighing breath. ‘All right,’ she said. ‘Let’s get married’ (Kidd 222).

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The significance of June Boatwright's name is connected to the Roman Goddess Juno. In Roman Mythology, Juno is known for being the Saint of Marriage and well being of women. In the novel, the main topic surrounding June was whether or not she would get married.
#RomanGoddessJuno

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Act like you know what you are doing, even if you don’t. Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved (Kidd 92).

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The significance of August Boatwright's name is its connection to the first Roman Emperor, Augustus. Augustus was known for his venerable, noble, and majestic acts. He always sought out peace and prosperity, similarly to August in the novel since she played the role of a motherly figure.
#RomanEmperorAugustus

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‘I wish you’d told me what you knew about my mother,’ I said. ‘How come you didn’t?’
‘Oh Lily,’ she said, and there was gentleness in her words, like they’d been rocked in a little hammock of tenderness down in her throat. ‘Why would I go and hurt you with something like that?’ (Kidd 264-265).

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The significance of Rosaleen's name is connected to a rose from Roman Mythology. Roses represented love and passion, often associated with Roman Goddess Aphrodite. A rose was also seen as a symbol of carrying secret. Rosaleen in the novel was the first person to show Lily Owens love and respect. Later on, it was revealed that Rosaleen was hiding information about Lily's moms death.
#Roses

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That night I lay in bed and thought about dying and going to be with my mother in paradise. I would meet her saying, ‘Mother, forgive. Please forgive,’ and she would kiss my skin till it grew chapped and tell me I was not to blame. She would tell me this for the first ten thousand years (Kidd 3).

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The significance of Lily Owens name is the connection to the flower lily from Roman Mythology. Lilies were used to show purity, devotion, love, and femininity, often associated with Roman Goddess Hera. Throughout the novel, Lily was always longing to be loved and shown affection.
#Lilies

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I remember, I said, I figured you knew I'd run away like Beatrix did. You were trying to tell me that Mary was standing in for me at home, taking care of things till I went back (Kidd 287).

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‘Wailing wall,’ she said again. ‘Like they have in Jerusalem. The Jewish people go there to mourn. It’s a way for them to deal with their suffering. See, they write their prayers on scraps of paper and tuck them in the wall’ (Kidd 97).

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The significance  of May's wailing wall, is that there is a similar wall in Jerusalem, the place where Jesus taught and healed many people. The wall is known as the ‘wailing wall’ or ‘western wall’ and it is a place where Jews go to mourn.
#WailingWall

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August tells Lily a story about a nun who ran from a covenant, but ultimately was saved by religion to have strength to ask for help. She connects her to the Virgin Mary. She tells Lily the story in hopes of having Lily open up about her life, and shows her that religion can offer a sign of a hope. Virgin Mary is a big symbol of hope in the catholic faith, as well as the story August told about the Parable of Beatrix.
#Hope

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I feel her in unexpected moments, her Assumption into heaven happening in places inside me. She will suddenly rise, and when she does, she does not go up, up into the sky, but further and further inside me. August says she goes into the holes life has gouged out of us (Kidd 302).

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In the book they celebrated “Mary Day” (The Feast of the Assumption) with honey cakes and festivities. They broke and shared honey cakes together like communion. Lily learnt that Mary was inside her, that she didn’t have to touch the statue of Mary to feel connected to her. She only had to look inside herself and feel her Spirit with her. In Christendom The Assumption is widely celebrated to ascend Mary into Heaven.
#Togetherness

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EDnRVt9IojnNzxs6dB_FTTZFglB6pcBXO2omqqar3EM/edit