Now that I've read chapter fifteen, I'm going to differentiate between three things that have been confused in my mind for my whole life: symbols, motifs, and themes. I'll give one example of each of them.
1. Symbol: "'Judy Bridgewater. Songs After Dark'" (170). Symbols stand for something bigger than them, and I'm sure this tape has to symbolize something(s). For me, it stands for the connection between Kathy's past and her present. The reason that these flashbacks are happening is that they're important to the person into whom she developed, and the tape "brings back memories of that afternoon in Norfolk every bit as much as it does our Hailsham days" (173).
2. Motif: "'Like I said, Kath, Ruth doesn't know about the animals'" (179). A motif is a recurring idea, and I feel like the strong connection between Tommy and Kathy versus the weak connection between Tommy and Ruth is everywhere in the novel. When they were in the shop, Kathy was very aware that they were the only two people in it. Tommy and Kathy can have heart-to-heart conversations that Tommy and Ruth cannot have.
3. Theme: the complexity of love (quoted at the beginning of this post). Love is an important part of human life, and throughout the novel, especially in Part Two, the characters have been trying to figure out what it means and implies. They've already recognized that love is something extremely difficult to judge and lies with "'our souls'" (176). There have also been hints of the idea that physical intimacy cannot stand for emotional connection, another common theme about love.
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