Columbines (Symbol)
Columbines are tiny beautiful flowers, among them the rancher Bellounds found the girl. He called her Columbine: ““Columbine!... So they named me—those miners who found me—a baby—lost in the woods—asleep among the columbines”. These flowers are symbols of beauty, love and purity as well as Columbine is. Wilson Moore loves columbines and he loves to compare the girl with them: “you wild-flower of the hills”. Columbines are symbols of life and this symbol shows connections between the girl and nature of Colorado.
Heaven-Sent Hell-Bent Wade (Symbol)
Ben Wade, the hunter, who came to work at White Slides Ranch and appeared to be Columbines’ father was a symbol of her and Wilsons’ love. It was he, who helped them to meet, who was a “postman” when they were sick. He loved them, cured them, and took care of them. Wilson called him “Heaven-Sent Hell-Bent Wade”, paradox, but true. Ben wade is a controversial person who had both heaven and hell in his soul and still, he was protector of their love and happiness.
Love (Motif)
The motif of love is depicted in the novel in two different ways and their contradiction creates the main conflict of the story. There are two kind of love in the story. The first is the passionate one, blind and crazy without care and understanding as Jack Bellounds felt to Columbine, and the real pure love between Columbine and Wilson – a beautiful feeling that was the goal of their lives: “They were true. These two were of the finest fiber of human nature. They loved. They represented youth and hope—a progress through the ages toward a better race. Wade believed in the good to be, in the future of men.”
Marry for dad’s sake (Allegory)
Columbine doesn’t want to marry Jack, but she is obliged to, because her father, who gave everything for her, said her to do that. It allegorizes many tales where a poor girl had do marry the man she didn’t love “for dad’s sake”. The classical story gives a basis for the novel but the author transforms it and adds wider circle of problems.
Duty (Motif)
The motif of duty in the novel showed in the Conflict between Columbine and rancher Bellounds. The girl doesn’t want to marry his son Jack, but she ought to, and the only look of her father reminds her about that. Columbine is suffering because she loves Wilson Moore bit still she decided to do as her father wants, she promised him to do as he wants and she will keep her promise.
