What are the motifs in Gap Creek: A Novel by Robert Morgan?

Hard Work is a motif throughout the book.To survive in the Appalachian wilderness, individuals must be armed with one characteristic: they must be hard workers. Ever since Julie was young, she's taken on the workload of a man. When Papa fell ill with chest consumption, it was up to her to chop firewood, plant and harvest the crops, butcher the hogs, and a thousand other manual chores that, at the time, were considered "men's work." As a direct result of Julie's hard work and determination, her family survived after Papa's death.