The Puppets of Spelhorst

One of the motifs in The Puppets of Spelhorst is the color violet. Most notably, the eyes of both Annalise and the girl puppet who resembles her are a violet color. Both characters (the puppet explicitly) have the gift of seeing things as they really are—e.g., both recognize the value of love, and Annalise sees Emma for the intelligent and empathetic storyteller she is. When the color violet is mentioned in the book, it is therefore typically a precursor for a truth that will be revealed.

For example, in the moments before the play, the sky changes: “‘The sky is violet,’ said the girl. ‘Soon it will be dark,’” (101). This symbolizes that truth will be revealed during the play, and the audience is indeed enlightened by Emma’s narrative analysis of life, love, and loss: The play gives Jane courage to explore the world, the puppets the feeling that they have a purpose, and Annalise closure regarding her love of Spelhorst. For the reader, the play also of course reveals that Spelhorst’s lover, Annalise, and the girl from the story are all one and the same.