Symbol for danger
In the first part of the story, the narrator describes how the Lady of the Paulownia Court became ill after the other concubines began to attack her for being the Emperor’s favorite. The woman’s situation becomes so dire that people at the court even feared she was going to die. From this initial story, we can see that here, jealousy is used as a symbol for danger and instability.
The weeds
After the Paulownia Lady dies, the Emperor sends a woman he trusts to visit his late concubine’s mother. When the woman arrived at the mother’s home, she noticed how overgrown and unattended the house looked like. Both the house and the weeds are used in this context as a symbol representing the effects grief can have on a person.
Poems
One of the common motifs in the novel is the poems the various characters compose on the spot during the time of great emotional distress. These emotions are sometimes addressed to other characters and are the way through which they express their feelings for one another. These poems are a common motif because they are present in the novel until the end.
The Emperor can not protect his own child
Another common motif in the novel is the idea that the Emperor is unable to protect Genji. This idea is present time and time again and has the purpose of transmitting the idea that court politics are extremely complicated and dangerous.
Liked by everyone
Another common motif in the novel is the idea that everyone likes Genji from a young age. From the moment the young child enters the court, he is liked by everyone, including his mother’s former enemy. This motif is present from the beginning of the novel until the end.
