Themes and Motifs (Rei)

Rei has been an individual who takes great joy in identifying themes and motifs within works of literature, and finds fun in implementing them into their own prose when writing their characters and plots. Due to the fact that themes and motifs take so much space in character pages, they will all be moved here for easier access and less calamity in respective pages.

 Caroline's Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

### **Themes**

Themes regarding Caroline center around **family and community**, though concepts of **love**, as well as **heroism and opposing adversity**, and **perception versus reality** are also heavily present.

#### Family and Community

Caroline's association with **family and community** goes deep. She is, at the core, a family woman, and lives her life with love, making sure to take care of those around herself are happy, healthy, and safe. She takes a nursing role, and through that, brings back the concept of family - by contrast, however Caroline has no family.

She has no known blood relatives, and is incredibly lonely due to it. But, she still has Charles, whom she considers a family, and the community and students around her, who contribute to the theme of found family found prevalent in the entire campaign. Though, heavy emphasis on community and interconnectivity between her and other adults and her students is also incredibly important to her.

The disconnect between her blood family versus found family is stark; but, with the support of community, the importance of it is not lost.

#### Love

This theme ties itself to family and community, as **both are based on love**. But, the distinction between the two is also brought up with Caroline and her naturally loving nature towards her peers and those she seeks to protect. Her motherly personality is catalysed by said love and kindness towards her community, and the love and life which comes from it in return.

#### Heroism and Opposing Adversity

Caroline's own dedication to **heroic duty** is not lost as she demonstrates herself as an individual who will do, in her mind, what she thinks is right. She is often misguided however, as not telling her peers of her situation was what she deemed the correct course of action as the hero of her own story, though in reality, such a choice was damaging to herself and her friends.

Her own drive for heroic duty is inherently tied to her determination to **always do what is right** in any given situation only to protect others, so determined to do so that she would not hesitate to sacrifice herself for the sake of others, though this is indeed a very selfish choice. It has become an obligation to herself, at this point, to fulfill her duty.

> "*A dying light is hard to capture, but the human condition if to rise nonetheless.*"
> ― Caroline, to Clarity during the Dinh Sleepover
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Caroline's determination and ability to bloom even in adversity is highlighted mainly by her conversation with Clarity, and how, even when she just emerged from the mirrors, dove back in to get Caleb. She naturally holds a determination to rise up above adversity and against antagonistic forces, never losing hope for herself, to ensure life and love.

#### Perception versus Reality

How things seem versus how they are is an important concept regarding Caroline, as her character centered around what she presents herself as versus who she actually is. Presenting herself as a kind and considerate woman, Caroline does indeed live up to these points, however, her own suffering and problems remain under wraps, never displayed to any others.

In addition to that, her rather murky past is something that is contradictory to her personality, and what she participated in is a near opposite to what she participates in now.

### **Symbols**

#### Masks

Symbols involving Caroline largely include **masks**, as seen with with her spirit, as well as her collection and powers. Masks generally come from theatre, and is heavily associated with Caroline due to this. They are seen in more traditional work in *Commedia Dell'Arte*, in which masks are used for stock characters. Masks are also seen as the traditional sign of the performing arts, and in Venetian practices.

Masks are, largely, in literature, a symbol of hidden images of a person, and not seeing a true face. This is observed nearly constantly with Caroline, as she always puts on her best face for others, her entire persona built on assisting others and making sure they observe her as a good person, and not who she truly is.

She is dishonest in this sense, as she hides too much of herself from others; her past, her future, and her feelings.

One of the phrases repeated is one relating to 'a glass mask', which is a reference to the popular manga series in the 70s, and a personal favorite of Rei. The symbolism of a *glass mask* is that saying that the mask that one wears when acting is as solid as glass, reflecting the emotions of the characters they are portraying, though it is still as fragile as glass, easily breaking.

#### Fleur-de-Lis

The **Fleur-de-Lis** is a stylized symbol of the lily, literally translated from French as *flower of the lily*. It became a symbol of royalty and the bourgeoisie, seen in coats of arms, though also heavily related to Catholicism, also added to the seals of noblewomen. The three points also symbolise the Holy Trinity, that being the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The association with royalty relates to Caroline's own association with the higher class (indicative of her previous status as Charlotte, and as the Queen of Hearts), and again relating to her association with the royal colour purple (explained in Motifs). The white lily is also associated with symbols of feminine purity, and of death. As a whole, the Fleur-des-Lis as a symbol of Caroline exemplifies the points of her origin as a member of the upper class, as well as the death and detachment from it, in addition to the death of her status as Queen.

#### The Holy Mother and Religion

Another interpretation brought from relation to the Fleur-de-Lis is the subject of Holiness. Combined with the association of the colour white with Caroline (and the carrying meaning of holiness to the colour), connections between her and the Madonna are not hard to make.

The title Madonna comes from the Italy, from *ma donna*, which translates to *my lady,* which is what Masque refers to Caroline as on numerous occasions. Caroline is lovingly dubbed as a mother by both players and characters alike, so an interpretation of her as the Holy Mother is not too far fetched. The Madonna is a woman associated with life, sacrifice, motherhood, and salvation, and Caroline can be seen demonstrating these associations through her own actions.

In addition, one of the main points behind the Virgin Mary is the fact that she gave birth to Jesus Christ despite being a virgin, traditionally in text of the New Testament. This can be related to the fact that Caroline has (unofficially) adopted Tobi as her own child, even without any more official paperwork, or a marriage even. Though not *exactly* a replica of the Virgin, she still has the virtuous nature of the Madonna, and the subject of a child without traditional connection.

#### Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts is the title Caroline was given during her time with the Royal House of Cards, and serves to showcase her position, and her role as a member. Being the Queen of Hearts would imply someone ruling over hearts, associated with love and feelings, and Caroline is a woman known to be very heavily in-tune with her (and others' emotions).

The card often represents empathy, generocity, unconditional love, and emotion. However, in cartomancy, the Queen of Hearts represents a few things, most interpretations following a similar line of thought;

* A woman with fair hair, and a loved maiden; either by friendship or my romance. Very family oriented.

There is a nod to the phrase often associated with the Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carroll's work *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland*, during a pre-scratch conversation. To add, the pronunciation of the author's last name is phonetically similar to the nickname *Carols*, given to Caroline by Charles Parker. To further associate it with Caroline, the name Lewis Carroll is only a *pseudonym*, going hand-in-hand with the fact that Caroline is only a name Charlotte dubbed herself, and is not her real name.

The title of Queen is also drawn from royalty and the upper class.

### **Motifs**

#### Colours

Caroline is oftentimes seen in the two colours **white** and **purple,** and sometimes as a subtle addition, she also wears **black,** or **gold**.

* **White** is a colour oftentimes related to purity, cleanliness, and perfection. In addition, it is also a colour associated with holiness, though in a more negative light, death. However, white can also symbolise new beginnings, as seen in religious work.
	+ In terms of purity and cleanliness, it is an ironic connotations related to Caroline, as she is infected with the Corrosion, at the most prevalent stage. She therefore *lacks* any purity or cleanliness, though she always shows an image of herself as one who is pure. On the other hand, she does exemplify these points, as she seems to be rather innocent (as observed with interactions with Cynthia and Caroline's own embarrassment).
	+ In terms of perfection, Caroline is, at the core, an imperfect woman, though the choice of colours implies otherwise, as she oftentimes displays an image to herself to others as one of perfection. This is also reflective of the perfection that of which she was forced into as a child, and how others wished her to be perfect, and how she lived up to it as an adult.
	+ White as a colour associated with death comes close to Caroline, due to the initial plans for her canonical death, though also to the death of her old self. White as a new beginning also exemplifies this, as she started a new life in Aprilside, with people she holds dear.
	+ The choice of white also coincidentally abides to *albedo*. Interestingly enough, it is also related to Carl Jung, who founded the Jungian Archetypes, oftentimes associated with theatrical character archetypes, and character tropes, referenced once by Caroline.
* **Purple** is a colour oftentimes associated with royalty and power, sapphic love for women, and rarity.
	+ The connotations of wealth, royalty, and power, are all related to Caroline for a multitude of reasons. It is heavily implied she comes from a higher class family, and that she carries power with her, though what exactly her status is, and who her family is, is unknown.
		- When paired with **gold**, this point is only seen much more obviously.
	+ Violets and the colour violet is a direct connection to sapphic love and lesbianism, from Sappho's poetry. Caroline is canonically a lesbian, and is currently courting Cynthia, who has an affection for flowers.
	+ Purple is actually a colour found very rarely in nature, which contributed to the colour purple being that related to the upper class. This represents Caroline's rarity as a person. Though yes, each individual is special, the idealism of Caroline being a person one can only meet once in a lifetime can be emphasized with her friendship with Charles. On the other hand, the purple in her person and in her eyes can then be interpreted as the fact that Caroline herself is a rarity; a mutation, and unnatural.
	+ The phrase *purple prose* refers to prose which is oftentimes very ornate and unnecessarily elaborate, which, jokingly, can be said about Caroline's general speech pattern.
	+ Coincidentally enough, Caroline's birth stone is an amethyst, which is purple, though has streaks of white in it. Amethysts are traditionally a healing quartz, and is known to prevent intoxication, though Caroline never drinks.
		- As another joke, amethyst has no cleavage. Cleavage, in minerology, refers to a mineral's tendency to break among weak bonding, though in a colloquial sense, has different connotations.

#### Religion

Caroline already has heavy associations with the Madonna, though she also connects to themes of religion even with colour and action, and in the Christian virtues of the concept of loving thy neighbor, pacifism, healing, and the concept of the meek overthrowing the powerful.

Furthermore, the symbolism behind the twelve disciples is present in the Aprilside Campaign; there are a total of eight children player characters, and (now) four main adult player characters, totaling to 12.

Though more subtle motifs of religion seem prevalent when thought is put into it, there is no symbolism, nor heavy implications of religion in Caroline's life (or in any of Rei's characters for that matter), due to the personal disconnect from Christianity and religion as a whole.