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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 37
Explanation and Analysis—Man vs. Nature:
Time and again, Hardy highlights the theme of contingency, fate, and circumstance through conflicts between man and nature. A fire nearly destroys Gabriel’s cottage (bringing Gabriel and Bathsheba together for the first time). A second fire nearly levels Bathsheba’s farm in Weatherbury, and an electrical storm almost ruins the crops for the year:
Heaven opened then, indeed. [...] they could only comprehend the magnificence of its beauty. It sprang from east, west, north, south, and was a perfect dance of death. [....]Gabriel was almost blinded [by lightning], and he could feel Bathsheba’s warm arm tremble in his hand—a sensation novel and thrilling enough; but love, life, everything human, seemed small and trifling in such close juxtaposition with an infuriated universe.
Related Themes:
