Previous
Mood
Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Giovanelli's Many Names:
Over the course of the novella, the characters use a wide range of nicknames and descriptors to indirectly refer to Giovanelli. Tracking this motif allows the reader to recognize the ways in which American characters use language to distance themselves from the Italian locals. Characters often play with imagery or metaphor in their nicknames for Giovanelli. In some cases, a character will use Italian when talking about him. Unwilling to use his name, the characters prove intent on dehumanizing people whose language and culture differ from their own.
Related Themes:
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—"Studying":
The idea of "studying" recurs as a motif in James's novella. At the beginning of Part 1, for instance, the narrator writes that when Winterbourne's "friends spoke of him, they usually said that he was at Geneva ‘studying’." At the end of the novella, Winterbourne returns to Geneva, where he is supposedly "'studying' hard," and the narrator explains that this is an "intimation that he is much interested in a very clever foreign lady."
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Part 2: Rome
Explanation and Analysis—Flower in Button-Hole:
A recurring detail in descriptions of Giovanelli is that he keeps a flower in his button-hole. This motif contributes to his character development and demonstrates how the American expatriates view Italian men. Driven by a tendency to size up people who deviate from their own norms, the members of the American community in Rome deride Giovanelli through small comments about his appearance.
The first time Giovanelli appears in the novella's action, the reader sees him through Winterbourne's eyes:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Winterbourne perceived at some distance a little man standing with folded arms nursing his cane. He had a handsome face, an artfully poised hat, a glass in one eye, and a nosegay in his buttonhole.
Related Themes:
