What are the motifs in Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt?

Love is a recurring idea in the novel, because it is both a source of joy and of pain for all the characters. Julie's loss of her mother's love impacts her dramatically and she is able to transfer some of that feeling to Aunt Cordelia and Laura. Julie struggles to find her place in the hearts of people, because she has learned early that love can be snatched away without warning. One of the most important lessons Julie learns is from the train conductor, who tells her that a person does not have to be Number One in another person's life for that other person to love. The real measure of love is to determine how a person can love and support another person even if from the lower position of second, third, or possibly even fourth place. For example,