Question

what is motif in literature

Answer 1

A motif is a recurring symbol which takes on a figurative meaning. We see them in books, films, poems; in fact almost every text commonly uses the literary device of the motif. A motif can be almost anything: an idea, an object, a concept, a character archetype, the weather, a color or even a statement.

So basically something that is reoccurring in a book with a meaning.