Final answer:
The aunt's motivation for telling a story could be intrinsic, such as personal satisfaction, or extrinsic, such as fulfilling a societal role. Understanding her motivation helps provide depth to her character and explains her actions in the story.
Step-by-step explanation:
A character’s motivation is integral to understanding why they act in a certain way within a narrative. When we ask about the aunt's motivation for telling the children a story, we are delving into the underlying reasons and forces driving her actions. In literature, motivations can be both intrinsic and extrinsic: intrinsic motivations arise from within the character, driven by personal gratification, while extrinsic motivations are influenced by external rewards or pressures. The aunt may tell a story to entertain the children, to teach them a lesson, or to keep them occupied. Her motivation might arise from a sense of duty, a desire to connect with the children, or to pass on cultural or family traditions. It's also possible that she is using storytelling as a means to distract the children or to fulfill an expectation placed upon her in her role within the family or society.
The concept of motivation in storytelling is important as it gives depth to characters and makes their actions understandable and relatable to the audience. Understanding a character's motivation is key to understanding the character's role within the story and how they contribute to the plot's development.