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Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

Clothing

References to clothing appear frequently to show that the Republic values conformity rather than individuality. Clothing is the primary method by which characters in the novel identify each other. Day can recognize June as a spy when he notices the Canto knot on her coat, which signifies she is a government official. June realizes that the Colonial spy whom Commander Jameson tortures was likely captured because of the flat brass buttons on his coat, a style used in Colonial uniforms. In a totalitarian society where appearance and obedience take precedence over individuality, clothing becomes almost equivalent to whom a person is, making everyone easily identifiable. Interestingly, the dominant color worn during funerals is white. When June attends her brother’s funeral, she feels as if her white clothing shows how she has been stripped of color, just as Metias was stripped from her life. However, corsets are worn by both June, who is part of the Republic, and Kaede, who is a member of the opposing Patriots, symbolizing how both political parties force their members into some sort of restriction.

Dreams

Dreams appear frequently to reveal the characters’ inner feelings and thoughts, as well as to foreshadow events. Day has several such dreams. In one, he wants to help his mother cook dinner. Her hands are bandaged from collecting glass bottles and cans all day for money. Day gets up to help her but finds his feet are glued to the floor, a metaphor for how he feels. He is unable to take care of his family. Several of Day’s dreams are prophetic. For example, he dreams Eden is drawing pictures of soldiers barging into their home, and this event happens later when June sends the plague patrol to ambush them. Day also dreams that John tells him he’d rather die than see Day being hurt by soldiers, which John does later in the book. June’s dreams are prophetic, too. In one, Day tells June he didn’t kill Metias. His sincerity in the dream opens her emotionally and prompts her to investigate his claim, which turns out to be true.

Eyes

Eyes are an important motif in the novel in the way clothing is—both provide a means for the characters to identify and connect with others. Day is recognized by the man who takes him in at the beginning of the novel because of his eyes. Later, Day recognizes June during the raid on his family’s home because her eyes are like her brother’s. Day remarks how, in the dark, he and his brother could also be mistaken for twins because their eyes are the same. Especially in a totalitarian society where people dress the same, eyes are the most identifiable aspect of a person and need to be protected to retain anonymity. Eyes also symbolize certain character traits. Day’s eyes have an imperfection, a scar from when the Republic used him for genetic testing, that signifies his exceptional abilities. Tess is near-sighted, symbolizing how her vision is hyper-focused mostly on taking care of those around her.

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