HORNBY: MOTIFS

So, after reading Hornby, we have many new lenses through which we can look at plays. One of the newer things that we're keeping in mind is motifs.

In How I Learned to Drive:

The "largest" or most obvious motif is Vogel's use of the gears of a car to indicate her "roadmap" for the play. For example, one scene is called "Idling in First Gear." I think that this motif does many things, but it primarily reflects the action of the scene and how it should fit into the play given the names of the other scenes. Although the motifs of the names of the scenes does repeat, it is modified throughout. As the play progresses, the gears change. Sometimes, Vogel even uses more direct titles, such as "You and the First Gear." That's a very direct indication that she wants her audience to identify with Lil' Bit or at least think about our own developments when we were learning to drive. 

In The Rescuers (yes, the childhood favorite of many)

I saw this film for the first time in years the other day. I had forgotten what a beautiful movie it was. In The Rescuers, Penny has a teddy bear that comes up a lot. She and Madame Medusa fight over the teddy bear, the teddy bear is damaged and stolen at some points, etc. However, the teddy bear comes back again and again. What's interesting is that this really simple motif drives Penny's entire character home. (for the adults watching, anyway.) Penny's teddy bear mirrors Penny's desires for a family and her need to be taken care of. When Madame Medusa takes her teddy bear until she can find the Devil's Eye Diamond, a climax is reached wherein Penny must fight for what she wants. It's really a cute and very simple symbol/motif. 

Scripts v. Productions

I think that a motif is certainly different in the script than it is in a fully realized production. For one, it can be hard, sometimes, to really notice a motif in a production if you only see it once. The focus is the acting, so if the actors aren't using, interacting with, or speaking about a motif, the audience may not see it or understand its significance. I also think motifs can be more powerful in a script because the reader is prepared to think about what every detail means and can go back and read a page again if he finds something that could be significant. It's tricky to convey a motif in a production, in my opinion.