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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 4
Explanation and Analysis—Human Connection :
Many scenes in A Passage to India evoke the futility of human connection. In Part 1, Chapter 4, the narrator speculates about the true nature of such connection:
All invitations must proceed from heaven perhaps; perhaps it is futile for men to initiate their own unity, they do but widen the gulfs between them by the attempt.
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Godbole's Song :
Godbole's song, which repeats the phrase "Come! Come," becomes a refrain that represents the eventual redemption of India. This Hindu song tells the story of a milkmaid who pleads for the presence of God (who never actually appears). The song appears in Part 1, Chapter 7 when Adela wishes to hear Godbole sing, and he assents:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“I may sing now,” he replied, and did. His thin voice rose, and gave out one sound after another. At times there seemed rhythm, at times there was the illusion of a Western melody. But the ear, baffled repeatedly, soon lost any clue, and wandered in a maze of noises, none harsh or unpleasant, none intelligible. It was the song of an unknown bird.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Boats:
The passage from England to India requires boats, which become a prominent motif in the novel. Boats primarily symbolize colonization. In Part 1, Chapter 7, Fielding remarks:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Even mangoes can be got in England now [...]. They ship them in ice-cold rooms. You can make India in England apparently, just as you can make England in India.”
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Birds:
The motif of birds recurs throughout A Passage to India and comes to represent the ungraspable nature of India. For example, in Part 1, Chapter 8, Ronny and Adela fail to identify a strange green bird:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Do you know what the name of that green bird up above us is?” she asked, putting her shoulder rather nearer to his. “Bee-eater.” “Oh no, Ronny, it has red bars on its wings.” “Parrot,” he hazarded. “Good gracious no.” The bird in question dived into the dome of the tree. It was of no importance, yet they would have liked to identify it, it would somehow have solaced their hearts. But nothing in India is identifiable, the mere asking of a question causes it to disappear or to merge in something else.
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Human Connection :
Many scenes in A Passage to India evoke the futility of human connection. In Part 1, Chapter 4, the narrator speculates about the true nature of such connection:
Unlock with LitCharts A+All invitations must proceed from heaven perhaps; perhaps it is futile for men to initiate their own unity, they do but widen the gulfs between them by the attempt.
Related Themes:
Part 2, Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—Silence:
The motif of silence recurs throughout A Passage to India. It often represents the futility and emptiness of life, but it sometimes stands for peace. In Part 1, Chapter 5, Mrs. Moore becomes intrigued by the silence that seems to exist beyond the echoes of the Marabar Caves:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Mrs. Moore felt that she had made a mistake in mentioning God, but she found him increasingly difficult to avoid as she grew older, and he had been constantly in her thoughts since she entered India, though oddly enough he satisfied her less. She must pronounce his name frequently, as the greatest she knew, yet she had never found it less efficacious. Outside the arch there seemed always an arch, beyond the remotest echo a silence.
Related Themes:
Part 2, Chapter 28
Explanation and Analysis—Boats:
The passage from England to India requires boats, which become a prominent motif in the novel. Boats primarily symbolize colonization. In Part 1, Chapter 7, Fielding remarks:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Even mangoes can be got in England now [...]. They ship them in ice-cold rooms. You can make India in England apparently, just as you can make England in India.”
Related Themes:
Part 3, Chapter 33
Explanation and Analysis—Godbole's Song :
Godbole's song, which repeats the phrase "Come! Come," becomes a refrain that represents the eventual redemption of India. This Hindu song tells the story of a milkmaid who pleads for the presence of God (who never actually appears). The song appears in Part 1, Chapter 7 when Adela wishes to hear Godbole sing, and he assents:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“I may sing now,” he replied, and did. His thin voice rose, and gave out one sound after another. At times there seemed rhythm, at times there was the illusion of a Western melody. But the ear, baffled repeatedly, soon lost any clue, and wandered in a maze of noises, none harsh or unpleasant, none intelligible. It was the song of an unknown bird.
Related Themes:
