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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
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Good vs. Evil:
The motif of good and evil pervades Uncle Tom's Cabin. This is in keeping with the religious and moral worldview Beecher Stowe presents in the novel, as she was writing with a Christian audience in mind. Beecher Stowe believed slavery to be immoral and knew her audience—made up of religious women like herself—was likely to be concerned with the idea of goodness vs. evil, which is also an important idea in the Bible.
Related Themes:
Chapter 16: Tom’s Mistress and Her Opinions
Explanation and Analysis—Flowers:
Flowers appear frequently throughout the novel and are a motif. In literature, flowers are typically associated with vitality, beauty, and love. Uncle Tom's cabin, for example, is surrounded by "scarlet begonia and a native multiflora rose," a description that emphasizes the cabin's pleasing, domestic nature. Flowers eventually become associated with the characters Eva St. Clare, Uncle Tom, and Topsy. This association is evident in the below passage from Chapter 16, for example, when the narrator describes Uncle Tom and Eva sitting together:
Unlock with LitCharts A+There sat Tom, on a little mossy seat in the court, every one of his buttonholes stuck full of cape jessamines, and Eva, gayly laughing, was hanging a wreath of roses around his neck; and then she sat down on his knee, like a chip-sparrow, still laughing.
Related Themes:
Chapter 26: Death
Explanation and Analysis—Flowers:
Flowers appear frequently throughout the novel and are a motif. In literature, flowers are typically associated with vitality, beauty, and love. Uncle Tom's cabin, for example, is surrounded by "scarlet begonia and a native multiflora rose," a description that emphasizes the cabin's pleasing, domestic nature. Flowers eventually become associated with the characters Eva St. Clare, Uncle Tom, and Topsy. This association is evident in the below passage from Chapter 16, for example, when the narrator describes Uncle Tom and Eva sitting together:
Unlock with LitCharts A+There sat Tom, on a little mossy seat in the court, every one of his buttonholes stuck full of cape jessamines, and Eva, gayly laughing, was hanging a wreath of roses around his neck; and then she sat down on his knee, like a chip-sparrow, still laughing.
Related Themes:
