Christ is held at the highest totem pole—at the head of the altar. No one quite compares with such a noble figure, which is why, of course, so many authors choose to do so. Sue Monk Kidd did just this in her novel entitled the Secret Life of the Bees when creating her main character August Boatwright. In the Bible, Christ is described to have 12 disciples, as did August. These consisted of the 6 Daughters of Mary, her three sisters, Deborah Fontanel, Neil and Zachary. Deborah and April as well, however one of the sisters passes away.
When Lily and Rosaleen, two characters who have ran away in search of a place to stay, reach the Boatwright house, August regains her two deceased disciples. Here is one of the few moments where we see that August’s arms are always stretched out, literally and figuratively. In the adapted movie, August would from time to time stand with her arms out but also always welcomed others with open arms. August is also self-sacrificing, as she always puts others before herself. She does everything she can to protect her sister May from her depression problems, catering to her specific wants and doing her best to ensure no one else can penetrate May’s extremely fragile bubble of self.
To relate directly to Foster’s key findings in Christ-like figures, August is exceptionally good with children. She knows that questioning Lily (a preteen) about her true identity and reason for running away right away will simply make her feel backed into a corner. August tells her sister June to wait before questioning Lily because she knows that Lily will tell the truth when she’s ready. August also has a vast scale of forgiveness, as she lets Lily slide by and by when she spills the honey, lies to her, runs away from home, and even when her being in a segregated movie theater with August’s nephew Zachary causes Zachary to be beaten and thrown in jail (as Lily is Caucasian) and Zachary is African American).
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August, like Christ, is also one with nature, as she is almost always in the forest tending to and spending time with her bees. Moreover, throughout the novel August consistently provides surrounding characters with insightful and motivational words of wisdom. These words help to build Rosaleen from the looked down on negra house maid to a poised woman with much to live for and offer to others.
