The Beekeeper of Aleppo

As the novel’s title implies, bees are central to the novel. They are symbols that represent many things, such as Nuri’s former peaceful life in pre-war Aleppo, and also provide a contrast to the actions of humans in war.

Nuri describes the bees as representing a kind of perfect society, in direct contrast to the war-torn country he has come to know: “The bees were an ideal society, a small paradise among chaos” (10). Nuri describes how he dedicated his efforts to them, and they in turn repaid him: “It was my job to protect the bees, to keep them healthy and strong, while they fulfilled their task of making honey and pollinating the land to keep us alive” (10). The bees are Mustafa’s reason for living, even after the war has started and his wife and daughter have left: “I can’t just abandon the bees, Nuri […] The bees are family to us’” (18). When the hives and bees are burnt down by vandals, Nuri is stunned by the silence. At various times in his journey, he will imagine the hum of the bees again.

After Sami’s death, when Nuri’s life is threatened by soldiers in Aleppo, he turns to thoughts of the bees, and how they lead each other to new flowers and nectar, in a show of cooperation and leadership unusual in humans: “I wished that there was someone to guide me, to tell me what to do and which way to go, but I felt completely alone” (48).