The Significance Of Motifs In Water By Thuy

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The author of the story does a great job of giving meaning and depth to characters with motifs and thematic events. One of the most obvious motifs is water. It not only separates Vietnam and America but the word itself is the same word for homeland. Thus, even though the narrator and her parents are in the United States, they are always reminded of life back home. The photograph is another motif that unsettles the family, especially the narrator’s mother. She feels very emotional when she looks at it but the narrator does not. Thuy shows how one thing can evoke different emotions from different people. The narrator is not as attached to Vietnam as her mother is, who feels the picture is her. The narrator cannot connect to it because her mother

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