Motifs in literature are images, symbols, phrases, or actions that provide greater meaning and hold the work together. They often reinforce or establish themes and use symbolism to create cultural ideas. The best method depends on the purpose, and motifs should be repeated for readers to recognize them. Skillful writers introduce motifs with subtlety and purpose.
A motif is typically a particular image, symbol, phrase, or action that occurs in a written work in a way that holds the whole work together and provides greater meaning. This idea is quite closely aligned with the themes present in a work and motifs often help support or establish those themes. Symbolism is also often used in the creation of motifs, especially those that may refer to cultural ideas or concepts larger than the scope of the work itself. A motif can take virtually any form, and once recognized and understood by a reader, often lends greater meaning to the work.
There are many different ways a writer can introduce and use a motif within a particular work, and the best method often depends on the purpose of those motifs. While not intrinsically connected, motifs in a piece of literature often reinforce or establish themes within that work. A story about the corrupting influence of greed, for example, can use the theme that money is ultimately a destructive force. To reinforce this theme, a writer could use a motif in which whenever a character physically comes into contact with money, he experiences bad luck or becomes corrupted in some way.
A motif within a written work often coincides with the symbolism, often through the use of established or new symbols. This symbolism is often cultural in nature, so a work written in America or the UK may use very different symbols with different meanings than one written in South Africa or Japan. In the United States, for example, the serpent is often recognized as a symbol of seduction or loss of innocence due to the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. A writer can use this symbolism to create a motif within his story, including a character wearing a ring in the shape of a snake, which then seduces and brings down other characters within a work.
How a motif is used can vary quite a bit, depending on a writer’s purposes. In general, however, motifs should be used repeatedly throughout a work so that readers have an opportunity to recognize them and come to understand their meaning. The use of a motif only once may more properly be recognized as symbolism rather than a continuous and recurring symbol. However, such reasons should not be abused or made too obvious, otherwise readers may think that these obvious reasons lose all meaning or impact; skillful writers find a way to introduce motifs with subtlety and purpose.
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