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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
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Resurrection Men:
The motif of resurrection recurs frequently throughout A Tale of Two Cities. Dr. Manette is “recalled to life” after his long imprisonment in the Bastille.
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Related Themes:
Book 2, Chapter 15
Explanation and Analysis—Domesticity, Destruction:
Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses the motif of threads and knitting to comment on the relationship between history and the actions of individuals. Both Lucie Manette and Madame Defarge are weavers, though their threads hold very different symbolic implications. In Book 2, Chapter 21, Lucie weaves a golden thread of harmonious domesticity:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Ever busily winding the golden thread which bound her husband, and her father, and herself, and her old directress and companion, in a life of quiet bliss, Lucie sat in the still house […] listening to the echoing footsteps of years.
Related Themes:
Book 2, Chapter 21
Explanation and Analysis—Echoing Footsteps:
Dickens uses the motif of echoes to foreshadow the coming revolution and to illustrate how seemingly small actions, made by individuals, can echo throughout time. The house where the Manettes live has a corner that is “a wonderful place for echoes." Initially, it seems that the echoing capabilities of this corner are literal—by some accident of construction, footsteps on the street are easily audible inside if residents sit in the right location. However, as the novel progresses, the echoes gain greater symbolic significance:
Unlock with LitCharts A+But, there were other echoes, from a distance, that rumbled menacingly in the corner […] they began to have an awful sound, as of a great storm in France with a dreadful sea rising.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Domesticity, Destruction:
Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses the motif of threads and knitting to comment on the relationship between history and the actions of individuals. Both Lucie Manette and Madame Defarge are weavers, though their threads hold very different symbolic implications. In Book 2, Chapter 21, Lucie weaves a golden thread of harmonious domesticity:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Ever busily winding the golden thread which bound her husband, and her father, and herself, and her old directress and companion, in a life of quiet bliss, Lucie sat in the still house […] listening to the echoing footsteps of years.
Related Themes:
Book 3, Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Shadowy Secrets:
Dickens uses the motif of shadows to suggest the existence of hidden secrets and hint at future events. One instance of this motif is in Book Three, Chapter Three, “The Shadow,” when Dickens describes Madame Defarge’s reaction to Lucie’s child:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The shadow attendant on Madame Defarge and her party seemed to fall so threatening and dark on the child, that her mother instinctively kneeled on the ground beside her, and held her to her breast.
Related Themes:
