Understanding Literary Themes, Symbols, and Motifs, Exams of Literature

Download Understanding Literary Themes, Symbols, and Motifs and more Exams Literature in PDF only on Docsity!

Theme, Symbols, and Motifs

Theme

The main idea or message of a literary work. A universal truth or something nearly everyone can feel (i.e. suffering, loss, love) Themes are analyzed by many literary terms including symbols and motifs. Some other literary devices include metaphors , imagery , mood and tone.

Example of a theme

Through Zaroff’s comments

about hunting, the author implies

that hunting animals is not

sportsmanlike. With only speed

and instinct, they are not fairly

matched against man’s intellect

and reason.

Common themes in literature

The individual’s relationship with and obligation to society… character vs. society Individual’s journey to understanding him/herself… character vs. self Individual’s relationship with and obligation to nature… character vs. nature Exercise: Try to write a thematic thesis for “Battle Royal” or “Hills Like White Elephants”

Symbols

The practice of representing things by means of attributing meaning objects, events, or relationships. Symbols can be a person, place, thing, or idea that stands for something else. They are used deliberately to reinforce meaning. For example, a letter may be simply a letter , but it can also be seen as a symbol of freedom , education , equality or inequality.

Symbols

A symbol may have more than one meaning, or its meaning may change in a story, essay or novel. Below are different kinds of symbols: Personal : a meaning uniquely associated with a person (i.e. watching TV backwards helps Lakers win a game) Contextual : a private meaning created by an author or work of art (i.e. symbol for Buddhist temple or Nazi Germany) Cultural : a meaning uniquely influenced by culture (i.e. black cats are bad luck) Universal : a meaning that is given to a thing by most people and cultures (i.e. lions represent power and courage)

Motifs

A recurring image, word, phrase, or action that tends to create unity within a story Motifs, along with other literary devices, help form a theme in a given work A motif differs from a theme in that it can be expressed as a single word or fragmentary phrase.

Motif Examples

Clothing Seasons Colors Death Supernatural Adversaries Education Wishes Abortion Silence Powerful Lies Deep Sleeps Witches Trickery Illness Consequences of Greed Flowers/plants Exercise: Name at least one motif found in one story so far.