Don Juan
In the text, the character Damien is portrayed as a Don Juan and a womanizer. This character symbolizes misogynistic attitudes towards women at the time Colette was writing.
The body
Colette uses the body as a symbol for a person's carnal and sexual desires, and suggests that the body is difficult to please:
“But what is the heart, madame? It's worth less than people think. it's quite accommodating, it accepts anything. You give it whatever you have, it's not very particular. But the body... Ha! That's something else again! It has a cultivated taste, as they say, it knows what it wants. A heart doesn't choose, and one always ends up loving.”
Observation
Observation is a key motif in the text, as Colette is observing people and their behavior throughout. The author offers us a number of archetypes, such as a middle-aged lady called Charlotte whose partner is 20 years younger than her. Through these case studies or portraits, we learn about people's attitudes about social issues such as gender and sexuality.
