Gold Paint (Symbol)
After getting knocked out by Oddjob at the hotel in Miami, James Bond wakes up to discover his lady friend, Jill Masterson, dead on the bed, nude and covered in gold paint. The image is an evocative one, both beautiful and terrifying, and it featured prominently in the film's marketing. While the body looks otherworldly, like Jill has been turned to gold with Midas’ touch, it is a grislier harbinger of brutality. It symbolizes both Goldfinger’s greed (his notable use of gold paint) and his capacity for violence.
Cocktails (Motif)
While Bond is a man who knows how to get out of a sticky situation and puts himself through harrowing feats throughout the film, he is also a man who knows how to kick back and enjoy more sensual pleasures. One symbol of his refined taste for leisure is his enjoyment of a cocktail. When he finds himself on Pussy Galore's plane for the first time, he orders his iconic drink, a "martini, shaken not stirred." Then later in the film, Goldfinger offers him a mint julep on the veranda at his stud farm and Bond places a similarly specific order, making sure the servant knows not to make it too sweet. Bond's sophisticated way of placing a drink order is something of a motif in the film, signifying that even under pressure, he is a man who knows how to get what he wants, and who cares about the finer things in life.
Beautiful Women (Motif)
In the James Bond franchise, an entire sex becomes a motif, in that they are time and time again Bond's most beloved object of lust. When female characters occur in the film, they are presented less as three-dimensional characters and more as new targets for James Bond's self-assured charm. In this way, beautiful women—known more broadly in the franchise as "Bond girls"—become a motif in the film, a recurring trope that alternately dazzles and betrays the suave protagonist.
"Close Shave" (Symbol)
On Pussy Galore's plane, Bond takes a moment to clean himself up, changing his clothes and shaving his face. When he emerges from his makeshift boudoir, Pussy touches his soft face and notes that he likes a "close shave." While she is referring literally to Bond's grooming habits, the "close shave" also refers to the fact that Bond tends to find himself in some high-stakes, pressurized scenarios. Thus, Bond's close shaving habits with a razor become symbolic of the fact that he is able to wriggle out of difficult situations.
Electrocution (Motif)
While it is not alluded to explicitly, Bond kills two men by electrocution in the film. In the opening sequence, he kills his assailant by pushing him into a full bathtub and electrocuting him in the bath. Then, in the vault at the depository, Bond uses a flaming wire to electrocute Oddjob as he is going to get his bowler hat. In both scenarios, Bond kills his opponents in a painful way, without ever firing a gun or coming into contact with his opponents' bodies directly.
