1. Universal Motifs
The glue of stories

2. Motif
a reoccurring image, symbol, theme, character, etc that connects the work to other pieces of literature and connects it to other works.

3. For Example:
Certain motifs are universal because they represent patterns common to all human experience (meaning that they refer to things in life that everyone experiences).
For example, the seasonal cycles are used in all times and all places to represent the general cycle of life.
Springtime= youth and rebirth
Winter= old age and death

4. The Motif should: be specific to the story
be an integral part of the story
be universal (can be applied to anyone’s life)
be repeated (if not it is a theme, image, symbol, character)

5. Some motifs that we will be covering in class….
The Journey
Numbers
Hero’s Quest
Death and the afterlife
Birth and rebirth
Fall from innocence
****Challenge to Authority*****

6. The Journey A literal or metaphorical journey.
Literal journeys can involve something as large as a global journey or as small as a journey to the supermarket.
Metaphorical journeys involve a character experiencing life and growing/changing as a result of it.
Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye is both literal (journey through New York) and metaphorical (journey to adulthood).

7. Numbers
Three wishes Three Days Three wise men

8. Hero’s Quest
Involves a journey, but the journey has an attainable goal that drives the character to make the decisions that he or she does. Generally the hero will have a guide and will face obstacles that seem larger than life.
Harry Potter

9. Death and the Afterlife
The essentials of existence, or the lack of existence, are questioned and explored.
What happens when we die?
Is there an afterlife?
Who or what created mankind?
Lovely Bones
Death can be metaphorical
Death of a part of one’s life and entering the unknown
The Matrix
The Truman Show

10. Birth and Rebirth
Focuses on new beginnings or a resurrection. The resurrection may be in the form of a literal birth (offspring) OR a creation of something new (an idea, a nation)
Pinocchio
The rebirth can also be symbolic.
James Gatz is reborn as Jay Gatsby

11. Fall From Innocence
An increase in knowledge by circumstances not necessarily from a positive experience.
Innocence, often a child-like innocence, fades away and is replaced by experience of the world.
The loss of innocence as well as the acquisition of knowledge.
Sometimes shown as a ‘coming of age’ story.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

12. Challenge to Authority
Questioning of authority. The authority can be a ruler, a society or a belief system. This can be shown in direct actions or a refusal to compromise or conform.
The Scarlet Letter

13. Thinking about these questions will help to determine the motif of a story.
1. What does the main character discover about himself or herself by the end of the story? 2. What do the other characters discover about the main character? 3. What is the conflict in the story? 4. What do you think the author’s attitude toward the outcome of the conflict is? 5. What is the title of the story? 6. Why do you think the author chose this?