50 pages • 1 hour read
Kristin HannahMagic Hour: A Novel
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Wolf Pup
The wolf pup is a symbol that represents Alice’s coping mechanisms. After Alice’s abductor leaves her in the woods, Alice connects with the wolf pup and brings him with her to Rain Valley. However, Alice and the wolf become separated when Ellie takes Alice to the hospital. The wolf represents Alice’s wild side that she embraced to survive when she lived alone in the woods. Her behavior after Ellie rescues her from the tree mimics the behavior of a wolf as she growls and scratches like one. Although this behavior and her connection to the wolf cause rumors to spread about Alice’s supernatural abilities, the behaviors are coping mechanisms to help with Alice’s fear. As Alice recovers, she happily reunites with the wolf; however, she understands that for the wolf to be happy, he must be set free. When Alice releases the wolf back into the wild, her actions symbolize the release of her trauma responses. Although those behaviors helped Alice for a time, she understands that she cannot keep them with her if she wants to continue her path to recovery.
Dream Catchers
Throughout the narrative, dream catchers are symbols that represent Alice’s trauma. Traditionally, dream catchers are protective charms that are meant to trap bad dreams or harmful energies. Ironically, they become a symbol of harm and danger rather than protection for Alice, though they still trap bad memories. When Julia shows Alice a dream catcher from the box of donated items, Alice has a panic attack, wildly scratching at her own skin to protect herself from the pain that she associates with the dream catcher. Rather than allow Alice to live in fear, Julia decides to give Alice her autonomy back to her by showing her how to destroy the dream catchers. As Alice realizes that no one will hurt her for breaking them, she demolishes the entire box, her first major act of breaking free from her trauma. This moment releases Alice from her fear of her abductor as she symbolically destroys him for all the ways that he hurt her and Zoë.
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Velveteen Rabbit is a motif that represents The Search for Identity and Belonging. In the story, the velveteen rabbit becomes a real rabbit because the boy who owns him loves him and believes he is real. However, the fairy who turns the velveteen rabbit into a real rabbit warns him that being real hurts. Alice connects to the children’s story because it mirrors her experience of recovery. Alice feels like she is changing into a “real girl” through Julia’s help. However, when George takes Alice away from Julia, Alice tells her that being “real hurts” as the sedative takes effect (379). These words make Julia sad because she feels like her therapy and connection with Alice only set her up to experience pain and abandonment again. However, as Alice uses her words to explain how she feels to George about the separation, he brings her back to Julia. George realizes that Alice’s identity will only flourish with the community she has chosen. Only with Julia and her support group does Alice have the possibility of becoming the “real girl” she wants to be.
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” is a motif that represents Alice’s past before her abduction. Julia notices that Alice hums to herself before she speaks as a way of self-soothing. After a while, Julia realizes that Alice hums the lullaby “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Alice’s shock that Julia and Ellie know the same song leads her to trust them because she connects the song with safety. When George reunites with Alice, she does not know who he is, and she reacts badly to him calling her Brittany. However, when he sings the lullaby to her, Alice listens to him and seems caught in a memory. George’s explanation that he used to sing the song to her when she was a baby provides context for Alice’s past. Even though George was not a present father, Alice still experienced love and comfort in her home environment before Terrance abducted her. The song represents Alice’s desire to return to an environment of comfort, even though she can never return to the person she was before the abduction.
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By Kristin Hannah
