Where's Waldo?

Literary analysis is a bit like finding Waldo in a children’s picture book, especially when you’re looking for a motif. I used the painting African Sonata by Vladimir Kush to explain. A motif, by definition, is a pattern found in a poem, a novel, a musical score, or in this case, a painting. In this surrealistic piece, Kush uses a music motif. Students easily spot the tubas used for the elephants, the lyre on the antelope, notes used to create the birds, and the treble clef coming out of the volcano. However, the $64,000 question is why? What point was Kush making with this motif?

Aside from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, another YA novel that does an incredible job of weaving in symbolism and motifs is The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik. The story centers around an orphaned boy who lives within the walls of the Paris train station where he is charged with maintaining the clockworks. His aptitude for fixing things is revealed as he obsesses over repairing a mysterious automaton, a mechanical man used in carnivals and magical shows. Look for parallels among all of the characters as everyone is broken in some way. For a real treat, watch the film version, Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. If you’ve never experienced this film, you’re missing out on a real treat.

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