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Mood
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 One
Explanation and Analysis—Surveillance and Paranoia:
It is often difficult to locate the line between Bromden's paranoia and his real, valid concern about surveillance. One example of this motif occurs in Part One, when Bromden worries that Nurse Ratched is listening to the men discuss their vote about changing the television time:
Against the wall of the tub room I get a feeling like a spy; the mop handle in my hands is made of metal instead of wood (metal’s a better conductor) and it’s hollow; there’s plenty of room inside it to hide a miniature microphone. If the Big Nurse is hearing this, she’ll really get Cheswick.
Related Themes:
Part Three
Explanation and Analysis—Flashbacks:
As Bromden's fog clears over the course of the novel, he begins to have flashbacks to his childhood and the events that led to his difficulties with mental health. One example of this motif occurs in Part Three, when he thinks about when he first started letting others believe he was deaf:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Lying there in bed, I tried to think back when I first noticed it. I think it was once when we were still living in the village on the Columbia. It was summer....
... and I’m about ten years old and I’m out in front of the shack sprinkling salt on salmon for the racks behind the house, when I see a car turn off the highway and come lumbering across the ruts through the sage, towing a load of red dust behind it as solid as a string of boxcars.
Related Themes:
