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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
Key Examples in Homegoing
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Stories:
It is little surprise that the characters in such a neatly structured novel turn to stories for the same sense of order themselves. Narratives—legends, myths, or otherwise—organize their lives and form a motif. Fables about Anansi’s webs recur throughout the first half of the novel, while horrific legends of genitals-turned-trees dissuade the unmarried from romantic intimacy. Homegoing’s African society is filled with tales that govern the characters’ understandings of the world.
Related Themes:
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Light and Dark:
The differences between light and dark—black and white—follow the novel from the moment the British make landfall in Africa, creating a motif. In Homegoing, they provide a stylistic throughline, explore deep-seated injustices, and interrogate the experience of race. Color writes itself across even the novel’s finest details: Rob’s creamy skin gives him the keys to a side of New York that Willie will never see. The moon resembles the “crooked, white-toothed smile of the dark-skinned night” as H trudges to work—which happens to be in none other than a coal mine. When Marcus and Marjorie revisit Cape Coast together, the Castle remains a disquieting, “glowing white.”
Related Themes:
