Motifs in literature

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the story of the poppy, the thistle, & the snowdrop

Blog # 3 of All Things Books

A favorite device in writing for me is the use of motifs. A motif is a literary technique that consists of a repeated element that has symbolic significance to a literary work.

Everyone has encountered these little, seemingly insignificant literary moments in a book that flirt their way across the page: a reoccurring word, phrase, object, scene, et cetera; all of which are employed to help develop and give shape to the book’s theme. Motifs are like patterns, and when they become visible, we can’t help but look for their meanings. Psychologically speaking, in our personal lives these meanings may be striven for by a confirmation bias or they may occur serendipitously; regardless of which path one takes to arrive at meaning, authors always use motifs for intentioned, meaning-driven outcomes.

There are a slew of motifs that I use in my book, Imago Dei (for more information about it, click here). I will not give them all away, but there is one that I will share with you and that is my use of the image of flowers.

Flowers have a rich history teeming with symbolism. The Victorian Era is part to blame in giving flowers their romantic airs, whether mournful or jubilant, flowers have since continued to be icons of expression and meaning. For my book, I chose three flowers in particular to zest in their rich meanings: the poppy, the thistle, and the snowdrop.

Photo by Milos Tonchevski on Unsplash

The poppy is, of course, known for its narcotic factor, but symbolically it is known for its “fantastic extravagance.” There is something illustrious about those fiery petals which can make a simple field turn exquisite with opulence—and doesn’t all beauty seem to have sin close by? It is for that reason the poppy should be a flower that is in proximity to a people that relish in beauty in ways that would set a moral or ethical populace upon no mere quandary, but a protest as loud as the poppy is titillating.

Photo by María Burgueño on Unsplash

The thistle was an easy flower to pluck for meaning’s sake as its historical roots date all the way back to the book of Genesis. Its meaning is “misanthropy” or “hatred and dislike of humanity.” It was spoken of when the curse was cast [over the earth] for Adam’s disobedience:

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you...”

This flower and its usage in Imago Dei is interesting because it carries with it a burdened history only to be embraced by Anna’s society ironically as a flower of importance, such that it is used during the coming of age ceremony. This is to further the idea of her society’s blatant disregard for historical, and especially, religious notions about humanity as it involves a heritage of identity. In Anna’s society, there is no more identity to inherit, only to claim.

The snowdrop is a flower of contrast; a flower to be juxtaposed to the poppy. Visually, the snowdrop does not evoke or excite a captivating impression—especially beside the poppy flower whose petals have a sort of exotic flourish, like that of a Jalisco dancer with her skirts all a twirl. Because the snowdrop blooms in the midst of the winter season, hence its name, its posture resembles something like a burdened, bonnet-wearing maid who is all early-to-rise before all the other flowers and is proclaiming to the earth of the coming spring. Its meaning is one of hope. Hope is necessary for any pulse, but especially for Anna’s. She is thrust into a world born out of fear and consequently fear is ever-present in her story.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Can something so small really have so much meaning?

Our lives are much like the seemingly vain little nothings we call, flowers: their existence is only for a season, but when they bloom… they bloom with such exquisite poise, as if they were a deliberate beauty. They may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and yet, imagine a world without flowers. Imagine with me now: you see two fields before you. One is barren, tattered with weeds, and laden with stones. The other field is outstretched with the color and vibrance of many thousands of flowers. Which field will you gaze at longer? Likewise, imagine a world without humanity. Even shows that appear on Animal Planet bear a human factor. It is not without a human voice to narrate, nor without intentional camera frames that are deemed important by the human perspective. With human eyes and a human voice, we give meaning to all that we see, even the small things. Pardon these now, run-along-thoughts. I’ve been gazing at flowers again.

Probably an important thing to note here is that, while these flowers by themselves have meaning stitched to them, they would only be symbols without their repetition. There is a significant frequency regarding flowers, and this is in part due to the story's societal framework of an environmental extremism seeking to supplant any old world notion of identity. Thus, the habit for floral rumination points to the larger theme of the story, the theme of identity.

I can’t wait to share the rest of the story with you all. Imago Dei is scheduled for release in January of 2022. There will be both printed and ebook versions made available. Thanks for stopping by.

P. S.

What kinds of motifs do you enjoy? Is there a book that comes to mind that is exemplary for motifs? Do share, I am, and always will be a student of literature.

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