What are the motifs in A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith?

Environmentalism is a recurring idea. When Tobias carves a life out of the Florida wilderness he takes only what he and his family have need for immediately. It is part of Tobias' code that a man should take only what he needs to survive for the day leaving the rest for someone else who may come along and need some too. This innate sense of preserving nature drives Tobias and his son, Zech, but clashes with the personal and business sensibilities of Zech's son, Solomon. Solomon reveres his family and their love of the land but he also has other interests, eventually selling much of the MacIvey land in real estate speculation.