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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—Springtime:
“The Story of an Hour” uses the motif of springtime to represent Louise’s rebirth after her husband, Brently, is killed in an accident. After locking herself in her bedroom to process the news of Brently’s death, Louise looks outside her window:
She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.
All of these sensory details are associated with the rebirth, brightness, and freshness of spring. And, in turn, taking in this view causes Louise to feel overjoyed in spite of her grief, because she realizes that she’s now independent. She feels excitement “creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.” In this way, the sense of reinvigoration and possibility inherent to spring makes Louise feel similarly renewed and optimistic.
As Louise gradually surrenders to these positive emotions, the motif of springtime comes up again:
Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.
Again, spring represents Louise’s newfound freedom. She looks forward to “spring days” as a symbol of the rebirth she’s experiencing as she transitions from a housewife to a widow. Marriage has, in a sense, been a kind of winter or hibernation for her—a way of life that drained her of energy, dulled her intelligence, and suppressed her emotions and desires. But now, Louise prays “that life might be long,” looking forward to the new season of life that awaits her.
Related Themes:
