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Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes.
Gothic Details
The forces of good and evil in
Small-Town Life
Counterbalancing the Gothic motif of the story is the motif of old-fashioned, small-town values, which manifest themselves throughout the novel. As if to contrast with all of the suspense and moral grandeur of the book, Lee emphasizes the slow-paced, good-natured feel of life in Maycomb. She often deliberately juxtaposes small-town values and Gothic images in order to examine more closely the forces of good and evil. The horror of the fire, for instance, is mitigated by the comforting scene of the people of Maycomb banding together to save Miss Maudie’s possessions. In contrast, Bob Ewell’s cowardly attack on the defenseless Scout, who is dressed like a giant ham for the school pageant, shows him to be unredeemably evil.
Reading and Writing
The ability to read and write is a topic that occurs frequently throughout the novel and invites questions about education, class divisions, and perspective. While literacy means different things to different characters, it appears inherently tied to authority and social hierarchy. In Chapter 2, Scout’s teacher, Miss Caroline, tells her not to read with Atticus any more as a means of attempting to maintain control over her students’ education. While this attempt to use literacy as a form of manipulation is a relatively innocent example, other instances, such as the history of Black churches lacking hymnals or the Ewell children’s lack of attendance at school, have more severe implications. Ultimately, the ability to read and write represents the gateway to advancing up Maycomb’s social hierarchy. Jem astutely observes a similar point when he tells Scout that “background doesn’t mean Old Family…I think it's how long your family's been readin' and writin’.” Atticus, whose primary pastime is reading, holds significant power in his community through his role as a lawyer while the Ewells, for example, will be perpetually stuck near the bottom of the hierarchy. Historically, enslaved people were also prevented from learning to read and write out of a fear that an education would give them the power to challenge their situation. While there are certainly exceptions to the relationship between literacy and class, the motif of reading and writing throughout the novel illuminates many of the power dynamics at work in Maycomb.
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