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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
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Existential Crises:
Existential crises appear throughout Six Characters in Search of an Author and become a recurring motif that suggests the absurdity and emptiness of life. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the individual person as a free and responsible agent. An existential crisis is a moment in which people question if their lives have meaning, value, purpose, or connection. When people realize they are free agents, they might become anxious about shaping their own identities or taking responsibility for living meaningful lives.
A key example of this concept appears in Act 3 when the Father claims the Manager's reality will soon be revealed to be an illusion:
THE FATHER [...] the very earth under your feet is sinking away from you when you reflect that in the same way this you as you feel it today – all this present reality of yours – is fated to seem a mere illusion to you tomorrow?
Here, Pirandello explores the darker side of existentialism. The Father claims that the earth under the Manager's feet sinks away as he realizes that the present moment is not really real—or, at least, it will not seem real the next day. By making this claim, the Father hopes to convince the Manager that the human self is a renewable, ever-changing force, and no single action or single day can ever define someone because it only appears to be real for a single moment before slipping into the existentially questionable past. What is the meaning of the Manager's existence—of anyone's existence—if he is living in what will "seem a mere illusion" tomorrow? Likewise, what is the meaning of the Father's transgression if it has already slipped into the so-called realm of illusion?
Another existential crisis occurs in Act 1, during one of the Father's many monologues:
Vaingloriously, we try to substitute ourselves for this faith, creating thus for the rest of the world a reality which we believe after their fashion, while, actually, it doesn't exist.
Here, the Father asks: do people create the realities in which they live? And if so, do those realities exist? And how can everyone's individual realities coexist? All of these convoluted lines of questioning lead back to the same source: the Father's guilt about the Step-Daughter's prostitution. He tries to philosophize but rather continuously contradicts himself in his attempts to excuse his immoral behavior. The motif of existential crises reflects the Father's own personal crisis and the play's overall emphasis on anxiety about reality, the true nature of human existence, meaning versus absurdity, and whether or not human life has any sort of purpose.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Curtains:
The presence (or absence) of curtains throughout Six Characters in Search of an Author reveals how Pirandello defies the traditional conventions of theater. Curtains first become noticeable in Act 1, in which Pirandello begins the play with the curtain already raised:
The spectators will find the curtain raised and the stage as it usually is during the day time. It will be half dark, and empty, so that from the beginning the public may have the impression of an impromptu performance[...]
The raised curtain defies the convention of a dropped curtain at the beginning of a play and gives "the impression of an impromptu performance." From the very beginning, readers and viewers become aware of this play's deviance from theatrical norms. One also might begin to question the relationship between theater and life, as well as art and reality, because of the seemingly open border between the audience and the stage.
In Act 2, the curtain actually seems like a hindrance; the Machinist accidentally lets it down midway through the play when he misinterprets the Manager's musings:
THE MANAGER: The darned idiot! I said "curtain" to show the act should end there, and he goes and lets it down in earnest [...] Yes, yes, it's all right. Effect certain! That's the right ending. I'll guarantee the first act at any rate.
The manager does not actually call for the curtain. He merely plans out the place in the play at which it should fall in the future. This moment makes the curtain motif into a symbol of the line between perception and reality. In reality, the Manager merely voices his vision of the final scene of the first act by saying "curtain!" to mark his directorial decision. But the Machinist perceives that this is a real direction, which annoys the Manager and earns him the title "darned idiot." He is not, in fact, an idiot. He simply misunderstood the Manager's words. This brings the analysis to another essential part of this play: the theme of authorship and meaning. Beyond the question of reality lies the question of who may author it. Does the mere fact of participation in life make one an author? Throughout Pirandello's play, curtains represent a reminder to critically question the relationship between life and art.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The Existence (?) of God:
Six Characters in Search of an Author makes a recurring motif out of the possible presence of God. During the first two acts, many characters seem to believe that God can intervene in human affairs. The Mother, Father, and Step-Daughter refer to Him directly. In Act 1, the Step-Daughter talks about God as the arbiter of death:
Well, when God suddenly takes this dear little child away from that poor mother there; and this imbecile here [...] does the stupidest things, like the fool he is, you will see me run away.
Here, the Step-Daughter worries that her dear younger sibling will die and leave her nothing to care about. She threatens to leave the home because she has come to hate nearly everyone else in her family. She does not seem to resent God for taking her sibling's life; she rather refers to Him as a neutral or negative force. This contrasts sharply with moments when the Mother calls "God to witness" the truth about her husband. It also differs from the way in which the children often refer to God with exclamations like "Oh my God"; they rarely discuss what God does or might do, but they do use his name as an interjection.
Throughout the play, it becomes increasingly clear that the search for an author has supplanted the traditional existential search for God. Despite the fact that the characters discuss God as an arbiter of death and/or truth, they seem much more concerned with their search for an author. As the Father says in Act 1, it is "a real crime" that "the author who created us alive no longer wishes, or was no longer able, materially to put us into a work of art" (9). He asks the Manager if he will author their work in order for them to live "for a moment" and continues to insist that "the comedy has to be made." The entire play revolves around the creation of art by an author rather than the creation of life by God. Thus the recurring motif of God morphs into a recurring question about His existence, which in turn gives way to the titular subject: the search for an author.
Related Themes:
Act 2
Explanation and Analysis—Curtains:
The presence (or absence) of curtains throughout Six Characters in Search of an Author reveals how Pirandello defies the traditional conventions of theater. Curtains first become noticeable in Act 1, in which Pirandello begins the play with the curtain already raised:
The spectators will find the curtain raised and the stage as it usually is during the day time. It will be half dark, and empty, so that from the beginning the public may have the impression of an impromptu performance[...]
The raised curtain defies the convention of a dropped curtain at the beginning of a play and gives "the impression of an impromptu performance." From the very beginning, readers and viewers become aware of this play's deviance from theatrical norms. One also might begin to question the relationship between theater and life, as well as art and reality, because of the seemingly open border between the audience and the stage.
In Act 2, the curtain actually seems like a hindrance; the Machinist accidentally lets it down midway through the play when he misinterprets the Manager's musings:
THE MANAGER: The darned idiot! I said "curtain" to show the act should end there, and he goes and lets it down in earnest [...] Yes, yes, it's all right. Effect certain! That's the right ending. I'll guarantee the first act at any rate.
The manager does not actually call for the curtain. He merely plans out the place in the play at which it should fall in the future. This moment makes the curtain motif into a symbol of the line between perception and reality. In reality, the Manager merely voices his vision of the final scene of the first act by saying "curtain!" to mark his directorial decision. But the Machinist perceives that this is a real direction, which annoys the Manager and earns him the title "darned idiot." He is not, in fact, an idiot. He simply misunderstood the Manager's words. This brings the analysis to another essential part of this play: the theme of authorship and meaning. Beyond the question of reality lies the question of who may author it. Does the mere fact of participation in life make one an author? Throughout Pirandello's play, curtains represent a reminder to critically question the relationship between life and art.
Related Themes:
Act 3
Explanation and Analysis—Existential Crises:
Existential crises appear throughout Six Characters in Search of an Author and become a recurring motif that suggests the absurdity and emptiness of life. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the individual person as a free and responsible agent. An existential crisis is a moment in which people question if their lives have meaning, value, purpose, or connection. When people realize they are free agents, they might become anxious about shaping their own identities or taking responsibility for living meaningful lives.
A key example of this concept appears in Act 3 when the Father claims the Manager's reality will soon be revealed to be an illusion:
THE FATHER [...] the very earth under your feet is sinking away from you when you reflect that in the same way this you as you feel it today – all this present reality of yours – is fated to seem a mere illusion to you tomorrow?
Here, Pirandello explores the darker side of existentialism. The Father claims that the earth under the Manager's feet sinks away as he realizes that the present moment is not really real—or, at least, it will not seem real the next day. By making this claim, the Father hopes to convince the Manager that the human self is a renewable, ever-changing force, and no single action or single day can ever define someone because it only appears to be real for a single moment before slipping into the existentially questionable past. What is the meaning of the Manager's existence—of anyone's existence—if he is living in what will "seem a mere illusion" tomorrow? Likewise, what is the meaning of the Father's transgression if it has already slipped into the so-called realm of illusion?
Another existential crisis occurs in Act 1, during one of the Father's many monologues:
Vaingloriously, we try to substitute ourselves for this faith, creating thus for the rest of the world a reality which we believe after their fashion, while, actually, it doesn't exist.
Here, the Father asks: do people create the realities in which they live? And if so, do those realities exist? And how can everyone's individual realities coexist? All of these convoluted lines of questioning lead back to the same source: the Father's guilt about the Step-Daughter's prostitution. He tries to philosophize but rather continuously contradicts himself in his attempts to excuse his immoral behavior. The motif of existential crises reflects the Father's own personal crisis and the play's overall emphasis on anxiety about reality, the true nature of human existence, meaning versus absurdity, and whether or not human life has any sort of purpose.
Related Themes:
