The Instrumentalist

Anna Maria’s synesthesia is the novel’s most overt motif. Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which a stimulus to one sensory pathway, such as hearing, triggers a response in another pathway, such as vision. For Anna Maria, this takes the form of music (hearing) triggering the sight of vivid colors (vision.)

Anna Maria’s synesthesia initially sets her apart from her fellow musicians and helps to explain her special talent. Her musical skill is rooted, in part, in the way that she experiences sound in relation to color. The more vivid the colors are when she begins a piece, the more impassioned her playing becomes. This in turn produces colors that are increasingly varied, saturated, and dramatic. Synesthesia thus helps the author to characterize Anna Maria as unique: Part of her desire to succeed is rooted in her special talent and the attention she receives because of it from musicians like Vivaldi.

Anna Maria’s synesthesia has an important origin. In a moment of foreshadowing at the novel’s beginning, Anna Maria’s young mother expresses hope that her infant will see her dreams realized and will have the opportunity to live a life in “multi-color.” Anna Maria’s synesthesia is thus established early on as a “gift” from her mother.