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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.
The motif of goodness vs. evil is largely represented through the novel's characters. Simon Legree, who serves as a villain to Uncle Tom, hates religion and is presented as morally abhorrent due to his cruel treatment of enslaved people. Uncle Tom and Eva St. Clare, on the other hand, are both deeply religious and therefore presented to the reader as morally good. Both Uncle Tom and Eva die at the end of the novel, making them martyrs. At the end of the novel, Topsy learns to accept Christian values through Miss Ophelia and becomes "redeemed." All in all, Beecher Stowe presents a worldview in which slavery is morally degrading and religion offers the only salve.
Uncle Tom's Cabin has garnered criticism for its limited and stereotypical depiction of the enslaved and especially of the titular character, Tom. Indeed, Uncle Tom is more of a symbol than a complex character, and he seemingly exists in the novel purely to represent the evil of slavery. From a modern standpoint, Beecher Stowe's portrayal of Black people is indeed lacking and is at times overly sentimental and self-righteous. But it is important to note the novel's historical and literary context. All in all, the novel's sentimentality is in keeping with its genre, and the emotionally charged language in Uncle Tom's Cabin appeals to the reader's emotions in an attempt to open their eyes to slavery's ills.
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:
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.
The bright, joyful flowers on Uncle Tom symbolizes the affection he and Eva have for one another. Note how the narrator also uses a simile to compare Eva to a bird "landing" on the "branch" of Uncle Tom's knee. These details, all in all, portray the two as harmless and innocent. This is unsurprising, given that both characters become martyrs, or Christ-like figures, by the novel's end.
In Chapter 26, Topsy brings a bouquet of flowers to Eva when she is on her deathbed, a gesture that symbolizes her newfound "goodness":
It’s a beautiful bouquet! said Eva, looking at it. It was rather a singular one,—a brilliant scarlet geranium, and one single white japonica, with its glossy leaves. It was tied up with an evident eye to the contrast of color, and the arrangement of every leaf had carefully been studied.
Topsy's gesture is a significant moment in the novel. Throughout the narrative, Topsy is characterized as unable to express or receive affection, a result of the abuse she experiences in enslavement. In giving Eva a bouquet of striking, beautiful flowers, Topsy has finally learned to befriend another person and express affection for them. Rather than explaining Topsy's transformation to the reader, Beecher Stowe uses the motif of flowers to present the transformation in a figurative way.
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:
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.
The bright, joyful flowers on Uncle Tom symbolizes the affection he and Eva have for one another. Note how the narrator also uses a simile to compare Eva to a bird "landing" on the "branch" of Uncle Tom's knee. These details, all in all, portray the two as harmless and innocent. This is unsurprising, given that both characters become martyrs, or Christ-like figures, by the novel's end.
In Chapter 26, Topsy brings a bouquet of flowers to Eva when she is on her deathbed, a gesture that symbolizes her newfound "goodness":
It’s a beautiful bouquet! said Eva, looking at it. It was rather a singular one,—a brilliant scarlet geranium, and one single white japonica, with its glossy leaves. It was tied up with an evident eye to the contrast of color, and the arrangement of every leaf had carefully been studied.
Topsy's gesture is a significant moment in the novel. Throughout the narrative, Topsy is characterized as unable to express or receive affection, a result of the abuse she experiences in enslavement. In giving Eva a bouquet of striking, beautiful flowers, Topsy has finally learned to befriend another person and express affection for them. Rather than explaining Topsy's transformation to the reader, Beecher Stowe uses the motif of flowers to present the transformation in a figurative way.
Related Themes:
