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Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 16 Apr 2019, 00:43
by EllieLieberman
There's many motifs, themes and symbols throughout
Adrift by Charlie Sheldon. What are some of your favorites?
One example is the bird in Steve's chapters.
The bird pecking at crumbs- did it feel hope? It sure had spirit... Maybe that bird's spirit would carry us through.
Within that same part about the bird,Steve talks about his son, Jimmie, being a symbol of hope. William, too, becomes a symbol of hope when having to survive Haida Gwaii.
I suppose it's not too surprising survival would be another theme, but I personally enjoyed not just the survival of the character's within the action of abandoning the ship, staying alive in the wilderness, and life-and-death injuries, but also the discussion of financial survival.
Larry and Louise need their business to survive. Travis, Scratch, and the crew talked about why they needed this job for the pay out. Steve talked about how in the maritime industry,
most of us have to keep working to survive.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 19 Apr 2019, 16:31
by Ekta Kumari
Nice observation. One of my favorite theme was of hope. Most of the characters displayed exemplary hope and faith in the face of most hopeless situations. For example, I liked Sarah for her unbudging hope in William's survival.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 19 Apr 2019, 16:40
by Nerea
I liked how most characters cultivated resilience. For example, despite Pete's leg injury he learned how to do things on his own. Also the crew in the lifeboats did cultivate resilience.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 20 Apr 2019, 10:39
by Diana Lowery
Birds have been used symbolically for hope in many great novels and biblical stories. I am glad that the author chose to include them in his book, too.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 26 Apr 2019, 03:48
by Kibet Hillary
The one that caught my attention was the bird also. We are not told where the bird came from.I was not sure what it meant at first but there was something about survival that it pointed to. It is also true that survival is one of the major themes of this book.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 26 Apr 2019, 03:54
by Kibet Hillary
Nerea wrote: ↑19 Apr 2019, 16:40
I liked how most characters cultivated resilience. For example, despite Pete's leg injury he learned how to do things on his own. Also the crew in the lifeboats did cultivate resilience.
The hunt for a seal was also another area where a lot of patience was seen. You can imagine creeping through the snow for almost three hours just to catch a seal. It seems that when the moment of survival or death comes, nothing is impossible.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 26 Apr 2019, 03:56
by Ferdinand_Otieno
EllieLieberman wrote: ↑16 Apr 2019, 00:43
There's many motifs, themes and symbols throughout
Adrift by Charlie Sheldon. What are some of your favorites?
One example is the bird in Steve's chapters.
The bird pecking at crumbs- did it feel hope? It sure had spirit... Maybe that bird's spirit would carry us through.
Within that same part about the bird,Steve talks about his son, Jimmie, being a symbol of hope. William, too, becomes a symbol of hope when having to survive Haida Gwaii.
I suppose it's not too surprising survival would be another theme, but I personally enjoyed not just the survival of the character's within the action of abandoning the ship, staying alive in the wilderness, and life-and-death injuries, but also the discussion of financial survival.
Larry and Louise need their business to survive. Travis, Scratch, and the crew talked about why they needed this job for the pay out. Steve talked about how in the maritime industry,
most of us have to keep working to survive.
Hope and survival were important themes that I loved following in the book.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 26 Apr 2019, 07:38
by Sophy Chunge
I noticed the "bird" symbol too. It symbolizes Jimmie, doesn't it?
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 27 Apr 2019, 15:38
by Kibet Hillary
EllieLieberman wrote: ↑16 Apr 2019, 00:43
There's many motifs, themes and symbols throughout
Adrift by Charlie Sheldon. What are some of your favorites?
One example is the bird in Steve's chapters.
The bird pecking at crumbs- did it feel hope? It sure had spirit... Maybe that bird's spirit would carry us through.
Within that same part about the bird,Steve talks about his son, Jimmie, being a symbol of hope. William, too, becomes a symbol of hope when having to survive Haida Gwaii.
I suppose it's not too surprising survival would be another theme, but I personally enjoyed not just the survival of the character's within the action of abandoning the ship, staying alive in the wilderness, and life-and-death injuries, but also the discussion of financial survival.
Larry and Louise need their business to survive. Travis, Scratch, and the crew talked about why they needed this job for the pay out. Steve talked about how in the maritime industry,
most of us have to keep working to survive.
Financial survival is a major theme in the book as well for sure. Travis himself has his mother to take care as she requires nursing care. His work as a local reporter cannot meet his needs. When observed critically, it seemed as though the pursuit of financial gain could take a major portion of the story.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 19 May 2019, 14:23
by Maria-Goretti Amarachi Okechi - Catherine
My best theme is Hope. Most of the characters expressed hope in the face of their unpleasant situations especially Sarah.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 20 May 2019, 03:21
by Adedayo+23
The themes that stood out for me was that of resilience and hope. Against all odds and despite the hapless situations the characters found themselves in, they stood strong and remained hopeful.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 29 May 2019, 16:25
by Verna Coy
I think that the most important theme in the book was that of survival. Remaining strong in the face of adversity is an important message, and this book does an admirable job of communicating that through each event.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 19 Jul 2019, 14:30
by Kemunto lucy
Survival was an outstanding theme. The characters were struggling and hoping for the best.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 21 Jul 2019, 17:26
by Mrudolph30
A theme I still remember after reading Adrift many months ago is the idea that everything is interconnected. Buckhorn both employs one of the characters and is the force another character fights against. The drifting vessel pits David (the old tug) against Goliath (Buckhorn) and there are characters on both sides of the fight that all have intertwined fates. You can feel how much this part of the world revolves around events like this.
Re: Favorite motif, theme, or symbol
Posted: 30 Nov 2020, 06:09
by Sarah Schmidt
The theme I liked best was that of faith. Sarah's faith carried her all the way to William, in a sense. I enjoyed reading about the almost miraculous ending - and I liked how that was tied in with the character's culture and belief.