Ballet Shoes

One motif in Ballet Shoes is clothing. Throughout the book, the clothes that the girls have (or lack) mark important moments in the Fossil sisters’ lives. Clothing is important in supporting the theme of Overcoming Socioeconomic Challenges because clothes are one of the things that the sisters need the most and can afford the least. In addition, because each sister has a unique relationship with clothing, the motif helps develop the theme of Learning to Embrace Individuality and Ambition.

Clothing is almost always part of the descriptions when the author depicts the characters overcoming economic challenges. This isn’t limited to the Fossil sisters. When Madame Fidolia raises money for the hospital, she asks for help from the community of parents, students, and teachers at the academy. Putting on the performance for charity “[means] a considerable amount of work for the children, but [also] a lot of clothes” (77). The school asks the parents to help make the costumes, and they do so willingly. This is just one example of how the novel uses clothes as a way to help others in times of financial hardship.

Another example is when

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