Student Question
What is the difference between motif and motive?
Quick answer:
Motifs and motives differ significantly. A motif is a recurring element, such as a symbol, image, or idea, that helps to reinforce the central theme of a literary work. It is used to emphasize the main message the author wants to convey. Conversely, a motive refers to the reason or driving force behind a character’s actions. While motifs support thematic development, motives explain character behavior within the narrative.
What is the difference between a theme and a motif?
Theme and motif are not the same concepts, but they do work together to convey the writer's message. A theme is the central idea or main message that unifies the entire work. It is the main idea the author is trying to convey through his or her writing. The theme is what the author is trying to say. A work may have one or more themes. All other elements of the work contribute to solidify and communicate the overall theme(s).
Motifs are events, actions, symbols, and ideas that recur often throughout the work. They are images or elements that you will see or hear over and over again throughout the work. Motifs help to emphasize the main theme of the work.
For instance, one of the themes of Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is friendship, or sacrificial friendship. A spider, Charlotte, attempts to save her pig friend, Wilbur, from certain...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
death and is willing to sacrifice her own life to do so. That is the theme, the main idea or central message, of the book. That is main idea the author is trying to communicate. Motifs of the book include recurring elements that contribute to the theme. Spider webs are a recurring element inCharlotte’s Web and help to emphasize the sacrificial love Charlotte has for Wilbur. Charlotte is using her own means of life (the web, which is used for her sustenance) to preserve Wilbur’s life. Words are another motif of the book. Charlotte repeatedly uses words in her attempt to secure Wilbur’s salvation. So, while theme and motif are distinct concepts, motif works to emphasize the main themes of the work.
How is a motif different from a theme?
Motifs and themes are deeply interconnected; however motifs can be understood as a literary device that is deployed in order to build or concretize a particular theme—whereby the theme is the central message, motifs are the repetition of specific symbols, images, or ideas. However, it is important to note that not all symbols, images, and ideas are motifs; they may also be a metaphor or used to represent the meaning of some real thing (unrestricted by the context of text)—it is only when they are recurring and allude back to the overarching plot that symbols become motifs. The presentation of motifs can be either in the form of a single object, a collection of related objects, or even a collection of seemingly unrelated objects.