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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
Book 1: Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Beauty's Worth:
Throughout the novel, the motif of beauty as a currency recurs over and over. Through this, Wharton highlights the value placed on female attractiveness by Gilded Age high society, and beauty's inextricable ties to wealth and security. Take, for example, when the narrator describes the lavish house at Bellomont in Book 1, Chapter 3:
There were moments when such scenes delighted Lily, when they gratified her sense of beauty and her craving for the external finish of life; there were others when they gave a sharper edge to the meagreness of her own opportunities.
Related Themes:
Book 1: Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—Beauty's Worth:
Throughout the novel, the motif of beauty as a currency recurs over and over. Through this, Wharton highlights the value placed on female attractiveness by Gilded Age high society, and beauty's inextricable ties to wealth and security. Take, for example, when the narrator describes the lavish house at Bellomont in Book 1, Chapter 3:
Unlock with LitCharts A+There were moments when such scenes delighted Lily, when they gratified her sense of beauty and her craving for the external finish of life; there were others when they gave a sharper edge to the meagreness of her own opportunities.
Related Themes:
Book 1: Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—The Waters Everywhere:
Gerty is overwhelmed when she realizes the depth of Selden's affection for Lily. In this passage, Wharton invokes the novel's motif of metaphors describing water and drowning to illustrate Gerty's extreme emotions. In addition to this, she uses vivid sensory language, invoking hearing and touch to represent Gerty's total lack of control over her romantic situation:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She tried to follow what he was saying, to cling to her own part in the talk—but it was all as meaningless as the boom of waves in a drowning head, and she felt, as the drowning may feel, that to sink would be nothing beside the pain of struggling to keep up.
Related Themes:
