what are motifs?

Motifs are like repeated images or themes that run through a story. http://www.answers.com/motif

In order to get a good idea about them, here are some analyses of motifs and themes in a couple of well known works:

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/huckfinn/themes.html
Themes are first; scroll down for motifs.

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/themes.html
Again, scroll down for motifs.

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