What are the motifs in Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden?

The Homeless El is a recurring idea in the story. Mameha tells Sayuri the story of the homeless eel. It is a story as old as time, told to her by her older sister, and now passed on to Sayuri in the same manner. A man’s eel, she tells her, spends its whole life trying to find a suitable home. Women have caves inside them which are the favorite homes of eels. An eel is a territorial creature and once they find a home, they mark their new cave as their territory.