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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
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Natural Dullness:
Eliot uses the motif of a lack of mental sharpness to characterize the lazy, ineffectual, and immoral Dunstan Cass. in the middle of Chapter 6, the author uses a simile to compare Dunstan's mind to the imaginary "mind of a possible felon":
A dull mind, once arriving at an inference that flatters a desire, is rarely able to retain the impression that the notion from which the inference started was purely problematic. And Dunstan’s mind was as dull as the mind of a possible felon usually is.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Theft and Thievery :
Eliot populates much of the novel with motifs of theft and thievery, showing the reader that bad behavior and its consequences are unpredictable, and that theft can be experienced and committed by people of any social class. For example, in Chapter 5 when Silas leaves his cottage and Dunstan immediately steals his gold, the weaver thinks to himself that:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He could not have locked his door without undoing his well-knotted string and retarding his supper; it was not worth his while to make that sacrifice. What thief would find his way to the Stone-pits on such a night as this? and why should he come on this particular night, when he had never come through all the fifteen years before?
Related Themes:
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—"Favorable Chance":
Eliot contrasts the virtues of good Christian behavior with the dangers of irreligious reliance on luck in Chapter 10. When Godfrey is enmeshed in making an important decision, the author mentions that Fate, and not the Christian God, is being wrongfully allowed to rule Godfrey's choices:
Unlock with LitCharts A+In this point of trusting to some throw of fortune’s dice, Godfrey can hardly be called old-fashioned. Favourable Chance is the god of all men who follow their own devices instead of obeying a law they believe in. Let even a polished man of these days get into a position he is ashamed to avow, and his mind will be bent on all the possible issues that may deliver him from the calculable results of that position.
Related Themes:
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Childish Behavior:
Eppie's childish behavior and development into maturity appear as a motif as soon as she joins Silas's storyline. Her innocent good nature foreshadows other characters' development into better people, particularly Silas, for whom she initially acts as a foil. In Chapter 14 when Silas's love for Eppie begins to awaken and he remembers his own better qualities, the narrator makes the following comparative claim:
Unlock with LitCharts A+As the child’s mind was growing into knowledge, his mind was growing into memory: as her life unfolded, his soul, long stupefied in a cold narrow prison, was unfolding too, and trembling gradually into full consciousness.
Related Themes:
Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—Childish Behavior:
Eppie's childish behavior and development into maturity appear as a motif as soon as she joins Silas's storyline. Her innocent good nature foreshadows other characters' development into better people, particularly Silas, for whom she initially acts as a foil. In Chapter 14 when Silas's love for Eppie begins to awaken and he remembers his own better qualities, the narrator makes the following comparative claim:
Unlock with LitCharts A+As the child’s mind was growing into knowledge, his mind was growing into memory: as her life unfolded, his soul, long stupefied in a cold narrow prison, was unfolding too, and trembling gradually into full consciousness.
Related Themes:
Chapter 16
Explanation and Analysis—Nancy's Still Beautiful:
The motif of inner goodness shining through one's outward appearance recurs throughout this novel. For example, in Chapter 16 the narrator describes Nancy's looks as remaining pleasant even though she's no longer a young girl. The narrator explains that this is mostly due to Nancy's wonderful personal qualities:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[...] Nancy’s beauty has a heightened interest. Often the soul is ripened into fuller goodness while age has spread an ugly film, so that mere glances can never divine the preciousness of the fruit. [...] The firm yet placid mouth, the clear veracious glance of the brown eyes, speak now of a nature that has been tested and has kept its highest qualities; and even the costume, with its dainty neatness and purity, has more significance now the coquetries of youth can have nothing to do with it.
Related Themes:
