motif

=Motifs=

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the piece’s major themes. The narrative motif is the vehicle by means of which the narrative theme is conveyed. The motif can be an idea, an object, a place or a statement.recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the piece’s major themes. The narrative motif is the vehicle by means of which the narrative theme is conveyed. The motif can be an idea, an object, a place or a statement.

For example, in Heat and Dust, hijras and suttee are reoccuring motifs in both Olivia and the narrator's story. They serve to highlight the alienism of India and serve specific purposes to each character, for example, hijras exaggerating the pretense and acting of Olivia.

//Extra info//: Not all motifs serve a purpose, some objects reappear in stories because of background or location.