42 pages • 1 hour read
Emily J. TaylorHotel Magnifique
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Artéfacts
In Hotel Magnifique, magic manifests as uncontrollable power that can cause harm if left unharnessed. Artéfacts are objects that make magic safer to use. They serve as “reservoirs for magic. Every suminaire is given one [to] pull magic from [their] blood and transmute it into a single spell before it can hurt anyone” (114). The Société des Suminaires claims that an artéfact reflects its user’s “soul’s desire.” This contributes to characterization in the novel, as magic wielders’ driving impulses are symbolized through their artéfacts.
Bel’s desire to find Home and Belonging is suggested by his ability to transport the hotel via his key. His power complements Jani’s, whose affinity for the cosmolabe reveals her need for adventure. Béatrice is characterized by her tin of mechanical gears. As Jani tells her, “You genuinely care about the people who work for you. I think your desire to always keep us together, to fix any of us who feel broken, manifests in your gears” (336).
The narrative’s villains are also characterized by their chosen artéfacts. Yrsa’s teacup inflicts pain, while Madame des Rêves’s talon turns people into birds. Madame des Rêves also uses the hand mirror, which drains suminaires of their magic, revealing her greed and cruelty. Alastair uses the purple inkwell that grants him control over others and gives him fake magical abilities.
Birds
Birds and cages reflect the performers’ captive condition in the hotel. For example, Madame des Rêves turns Zosa into a bird after every show and only brings her out to perform. Patrons are also made to keep quiet in the library by a wild bird kept in a cage. The aviary is full of birds who are eventually revealed to be trapped suminaires, kept in captivity for Alastair to drain them of magic. The birds are kept in ornate cages, highlighting the contrast between the hotel’s beautiful appearance and the workers’ lack of freedom. Zosa takes charge of the other birds in her own bird form, symbolizing how the workers rebel to reclaim their agency.
Maps
Maps, and by extension the idea of finding one’s way, are a recurring motif in Hotel Magnifique. Jani and Zosa seek out the hotel because of the appeal of an idealized “elsewhere.” When Jani chooses the cosmolabe, Alastair tells her how it is a map in its own right: “This little device allowed explorers to read the skies and discover lands. A map of the stars in your palm” (233).
Maps and traveling are used both literally and symbolically in the story. The map room, for instance, is a key location in the hotel. It is connected to several references to maps, such as the enchanted atlas, the cosmolabe, and the Société des Suminaires’ book that contains a map of the hotel. Jani becoming a mapmaker both advances the plot and supports her characterization as an adventure seeker. In the end, Jani and Bel have fulfilled their desire for Home and Belonging and decide to keep traveling, this time in search of people who may need the same.
Jani’s Necklace
Jani’s necklace was given to her by her mother before she died. It is imbued with her mother’s love: “The necklace had felt warm against my skin. Special, for some reason” (255). Throughout the story, Jani often uses it to remind herself of her mother’s care and guidance, touching it for comfort or reminiscing about her life in Aligney. Jani’s mother, who knew that Jani possessed magic, gifted her the necklace to protect her against magic’s destructive nature. Bel surmises that the necklace’s ability is to prevent “other artéfacts from having an effect” (257), which gives Jani protection from Alastair’s memory spells. The necklace both is a symbol of Jani’s mother’s love and reinforces Jani’s characterization as honest, as she is able to see through illusions and manipulation.
