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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. The Madness Years
Explanation and Analysis—Flames:
Throughout The Three-Body Problem, the narrator frequently describes student revolutionaries as "flames" or "fire," using both similes and metaphors to establish this motif. Note the following simile from Chapter 1, which is used to describe the militants who eventually kill Ye Zhetai:
Dressed in military uniforms and equipped with bandoliers, they exuded youthful vigor and surrounded Ye Zhetai like four green flames.
These students are compared to "flames" in the sense that the "exud[e] youthful vigor"—they are "fired up" for their cause, ready to burn anyone who dares stand in their way. Fire is more than simply a measure of passion, however; it is dangerous, destructive. The narrator contemplates the other side of this revolutionary fervor using a metaphor in Chapter 2:
Even if they spilled all of their blood, it would cool faster than a pile of cow dung, and not be as useful. But burning was their fate; they were the generation meant to be consumed by fire.
These students serve as powerful forces of nature, punishing academics indiscriminately. They are rash, hot-headed, and short-tempered; their fire, burning uncontrollably, harms many innocents. These students carry revolutionary sentiment but do not know how to keep their ambitions moderate. They maintain only tenuous control over their fire, allowing the blaze to catch and spread far more than originally intended.
Related Themes:
Chapter 2. Silent Spring
Explanation and Analysis—Flames:
Throughout The Three-Body Problem, the narrator frequently describes student revolutionaries as "flames" or "fire," using both similes and metaphors to establish this motif. Note the following simile from Chapter 1, which is used to describe the militants who eventually kill Ye Zhetai:
Dressed in military uniforms and equipped with bandoliers, they exuded youthful vigor and surrounded Ye Zhetai like four green flames.
These students are compared to "flames" in the sense that the "exud[e] youthful vigor"—they are "fired up" for their cause, ready to burn anyone who dares stand in their way. Fire is more than simply a measure of passion, however; it is dangerous, destructive. The narrator contemplates the other side of this revolutionary fervor using a metaphor in Chapter 2:
Even if they spilled all of their blood, it would cool faster than a pile of cow dung, and not be as useful. But burning was their fate; they were the generation meant to be consumed by fire.
These students serve as powerful forces of nature, punishing academics indiscriminately. They are rash, hot-headed, and short-tempered; their fire, burning uncontrollably, harms many innocents. These students carry revolutionary sentiment but do not know how to keep their ambitions moderate. They maintain only tenuous control over their fire, allowing the blaze to catch and spread far more than originally intended.
Related Themes:
