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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 1
Explanation and Analysis—Superhero Comics:
Superhero comics serve as a notable motif throughout Demon Copperhead. As a young child, Demon is an avid reader of superhero comics. In the opening chapter of the novel, he reflects on his relationship to comic books:
Anybody will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose. Me though, I was a born sucker for the superhero rescue. Did that line of work even exist, in our trailer-home universe? Had they all quit Smallville and gone looking for bigger action? Save or be saved, these are questions. You want to think it’s not over till the last page.
Chapter 41
Explanation and Analysis—Drug Companies:
A major motif in the novel is the exploitation of the people of Lee County by the pharmaceutical industry. Many in the region suffer from chronic pain as a result of their physically demanding lifestyles, and they quickly become victim to doctors who prescribe them addictive painkillers. Often, these figures appear more like drug dealers than medical professionals, as they exploit their patients once they become dependent on the drugs. Aunt June, who is deeply critical of the over-prescription of painkillers, attempts to convince Demon to turn down the hydrocodone that he has been prescribed:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She hissed at me: “Kent Holt is a fucking hired killer for his company" [...] She and Coach left the room, but I heard them out in the hall. Coach using his fifty-yard-line voice, and she was also plenty loud enough [...] Then she gave up on him and came back to work on me. Telling me how pain is a body’s way of taking care of you, letting you know when to stop. Telling me to think of my future. She had no clue. My future was football. Playing through the pain is what you do.
Related Themes:
Chapter 48
Explanation and Analysis—Drug Companies:
A major motif in the novel is the exploitation of the people of Lee County by the pharmaceutical industry. Many in the region suffer from chronic pain as a result of their physically demanding lifestyles, and they quickly become victim to doctors who prescribe them addictive painkillers. Often, these figures appear more like drug dealers than medical professionals, as they exploit their patients once they become dependent on the drugs. Aunt June, who is deeply critical of the over-prescription of painkillers, attempts to convince Demon to turn down the hydrocodone that he has been prescribed:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She hissed at me: “Kent Holt is a fucking hired killer for his company" [...] She and Coach left the room, but I heard them out in the hall. Coach using his fifty-yard-line voice, and she was also plenty loud enough [...] Then she gave up on him and came back to work on me. Telling me how pain is a body’s way of taking care of you, letting you know when to stop. Telling me to think of my future. She had no clue. My future was football. Playing through the pain is what you do.
Related Themes:
Chapter 53
Explanation and Analysis—This Was Done To You:
The question of personal responsibility serves as an important motif throughout the novel. Demon tends to think of himself as personally responsible for the painful tragedies that mark his early life. When his mother dies, for example, he feels that he was not worthy enough to give her a reason to fight against her addiction. Later, he holds himself responsible for his own worsening addiction to opioids. After recovering Emmy from Atlanta, June drives Emmy and Demon back to Lee County in Chapter 53 and urges Demon to recognize that he, like many others, is a victim of the greed of the drug companies:
Unlock with LitCharts A+June kept talking. As far as what lay up the road for me and Emmy, she knew some things I didn’t, and that part killed her, she said. She felt cruel every time she set somebody up with the methadone clinic in Knoxville [...] She had patients getting up at three a.m. to get down there and back before work, with their kids in the car. No closer options [...] The first thing we had to do, she said, was quit thinking this mess was our fault. “They did this to you,” she kept repeating, like that was our key to salvation.
Related Themes:
Chapter 55
Explanation and Analysis—This Was Done To You:
The question of personal responsibility serves as an important motif throughout the novel. Demon tends to think of himself as personally responsible for the painful tragedies that mark his early life. When his mother dies, for example, he feels that he was not worthy enough to give her a reason to fight against her addiction. Later, he holds himself responsible for his own worsening addiction to opioids. After recovering Emmy from Atlanta, June drives Emmy and Demon back to Lee County in Chapter 53 and urges Demon to recognize that he, like many others, is a victim of the greed of the drug companies:
Unlock with LitCharts A+June kept talking. As far as what lay up the road for me and Emmy, she knew some things I didn’t, and that part killed her, she said. She felt cruel every time she set somebody up with the methadone clinic in Knoxville [...] She had patients getting up at three a.m. to get down there and back before work, with their kids in the car. No closer options [...] The first thing we had to do, she said, was quit thinking this mess was our fault. “They did this to you,” she kept repeating, like that was our key to salvation.
Related Themes:
Chapter 62
Explanation and Analysis—Superhero Comics:
Superhero comics serve as a notable motif throughout Demon Copperhead. As a young child, Demon is an avid reader of superhero comics. In the opening chapter of the novel, he reflects on his relationship to comic books:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Anybody will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose. Me though, I was a born sucker for the superhero rescue. Did that line of work even exist, in our trailer-home universe? Had they all quit Smallville and gone looking for bigger action? Save or be saved, these are questions. You want to think it’s not over till the last page.
