Themes, symbols and motifs
Themes
A theme is used to describe the main message of the story. For the overall text to be
cohesive, a story needs to have a main message or theme.
In The Simple Gift, Herrick attempts to give responders a particular view of the world,
to give a sense of truth and reality. The Simple Gift offers a perspective on reality that
provides responders with a way of making sense of the way they view the world.
In doing so, Herrick invites us to challenge what is truly valued in our society; to
question our motivations and desires and to reassess the way we view ourselves and
others.
From this perspective the overarching theme in The Simple Gift may be interpreted as:
The pursuit of the simple things in life is both rewarding and fulfilling.
This theme incorporates the concepts of:
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friendship and companionship
random acts of kindness
open generosity
devaluing material wealth.
Symbols
A symbol is the recurring use of words, phrases or images which convey specific
ideas or meanings.
The graphic image of a person’s hand is repeated throughout The Simple Gift and is
presented both positively and negatively.
The positive image of a person’s hand is conveyed through the understanding of the
meaning of the aphorisms or sayings such as: ‘a helping hand’; ‘give me a hand’; ‘Do
you want a hand’.
The negative image of the hand is conveyed as a violent powerful force: ‘gave me one
hard backhander’ (p15); and ‘with the force of a father’s punch’ (p10).
The key that Old Bill gives to Billy, which is also illustrated on the text cover, is also
symbolic. It is symbolic as it is the answer (the key) to all of Billy’s problems and it is
metaphorically unlocking the door to Billy’s future.
As a result of Old Bill and Billy’s unlikely friendship there are many occasions for
laughter, something that has been missing from their lives for some time. This
laughter conveys the image of happiness and friendship: ‘I laughed long and loud’;
and ‘two hobos laughing, laughing the morning away (p130) suggest Billy and Old
Bill enjoy each others company and that the laughter is a therapeutic aid, part of their
transformation from an ‘earlier self’. The words sunshine, sun and light are also
often repeated.
Motifs
A motif is a recurring idea, concept or theme.
The references to dreams throughout The Simple Gift convey the idea that reality is
something from which to escape. In this context dreams are reflections of the
characters desires or fears. Billy says ‘I can read. I can dream’ (p6), inferring that
perhaps there is a better place, a better life out there for him. He later says he ‘slept
the sleep of the dreamless’ (p30) after his first night in Bendarat. This was a deep,
peaceful sleep for a boy accustomed to stress and anxiety.
Billy’s dreams also confront him with the reality of his ‘new life’. His fears are
exposed when he tells us, ‘I dreamt of myself as an old man…. afraid to fall asleep
and dream again of myself getting old long before my time.’
Theme: write down your ideas about what is the major theme of the
novel…
My idea of the major theme in the novel is that you can always change yourself or your
life for the better. Everyone has the power to be true to themselves and believe in
themselves to make a difference in their lives.
There are also other themes relevant to the novel as well:
For instance - It is not material things that matter in life it is love , friendship and your
dream .
- The simplest gift is that of friendship.
- No matter what life deals up , whether tragedy or sadness takes place in
your life, you need to move on to find happiness.
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Don’t judge a book by its cover
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Believe in yourself and move on.
- The simple things in life such as a good friend are what really matters in
life.