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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
Part 1, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Fire vs. The Wild:
Throughout the novel, fire is a motif that represents the triumph of civilization over nature. The first instance of this is in Part 1, Chapter 1, when Bill and Henry use fire to ward off a pack of hungry wolves surrounding their camp. The light from the fire drives the wolves back, who hide in the forest’s shadows, waiting for the light to die down:
The men slept, breathing heavily, side by side, under one covering. The fire died down, and the gleaming eyes drew closer the circle they had flung about the camp. The dogs clustered together in fear, now and again snarling menacingly as a pair of eyes drew close. Once their uproar became so loud that Bill woke up. He got out of bed carefully […] and threw more wood on the fire. As it began to flame up, the circle of eyes drew farther back.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The Wild at War:
At several points in the novel, London depicts the Wild and life as being at war with one another. This emphasizes the way that animals must struggle for their survival against the hardships of nature. Every moment of life in this hostile environment is represented as a heroic victory against nature, which in this passage from Part 1, Chapter 1 is personified as a tyrannical and overbearing ruler striving to “crush [life] into submission”:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It is not the way of the Wild to like movement. Life is an offense to it, for life is movement, and the Wild aims always to destroy movement. It freezes the water to prevent it running to the sea; it drives the sap out of trees till they are frozen to their mighty hearts; and most ferociously and terribly of all does the Wild harry and crush into submission, man—man, who is the most restless of life, ever in revolt against the dictum that all movement must in the end come to the cessation of movement.
Related Themes:
Part 3, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Fire vs. The Wild:
Throughout the novel, fire is a motif that represents the triumph of civilization over nature. The first instance of this is in Part 1, Chapter 1, when Bill and Henry use fire to ward off a pack of hungry wolves surrounding their camp. The light from the fire drives the wolves back, who hide in the forest’s shadows, waiting for the light to die down:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The men slept, breathing heavily, side by side, under one covering. The fire died down, and the gleaming eyes drew closer the circle they had flung about the camp. The dogs clustered together in fear, now and again snarling menacingly as a pair of eyes drew close. Once their uproar became so loud that Bill woke up. He got out of bed carefully […] and threw more wood on the fire. As it began to flame up, the circle of eyes drew farther back.
Related Themes:
