The Secret Life of Bees
The Secret Life of BeesSue Monk Kidd
Characters in The Secret Life of Bees
7 characters, main characters first.Main characters
Lily Owens
A guilt-ridden fourteen-year-old girl searching for the truth about her dead mother and for a place to belong.
Antagonists
T. Ray Owens
Lily's cold, abusive father, whom she runs away from.
Supporting characters
Rosaleen
The strong-willed Black woman who helped raise Lily and flees with her after a violent racist encounter.
August Boatwright
The wise eldest beekeeping sister who takes Lily in and becomes a surrogate mother.
June Boatwright
The second Boatwright sister, a cellist and schoolteacher who is slow to warm to Lily living in their house.
May Boatwright
The youngest, emotionally fragile Boatwright sister, still grieving the long-ago death of her twin.
Zach Taylor
A Black teenager who works with August's honey business and grows close to Lily despite the era's racial barriers.