The Secret Life of Bees
Chapter 8 Reading Guide
1. August tells Lily about the Boatwright family and growing up in Richmond
using what literary technique? Why does the author choose to use this
device again?
2. What does Lily learn about love from August?
3. The secret life of bees is a motif.
a. Define motif:
b. August explains the secret life of bees involves special roles that
support the hive. What roles in the beehive correspond to people in
the novel?
c. Who has a “secret life” unknown to others in the book?
4. How is the lawyer, Clayton Forrest, different from others in the town of
Tiburon?
5. Explain why Lily telephones her father and the effect this phone call has on
her.