The halfway motif
Although Billy is literally home in America, he is only halfway done with his service in the military. The halftime of American football is compared to a commitment to military combat which Billy Lynn is obligated to fulfill. He enjoys American life and honor but only in the way that the crowd enjoys the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading at halftime. The motif is completed by the indecisive opinion that Billy feels; he is half-convinced that his obligation is to the government and half-convinced that his obligation is to life and survival.
Publicity and propaganda
The motif of entertainment news is obvious throughout the novel. There are thousands and thousands of soldiers eligible for the high honors that Billy receives, but he gets the honors because he is in front of the camera; a Fox news production filmed Billy's "Bravo Squad" during their military tour and publicized them into heroes of the cause. Billy doesn't necessarily feel peaceful about that. Then, the Dallas Cowboys agree to feature them, and Hollywood producers begin other productions about him and the other seven soldiers.
Political agenda
This novel symbolizes the relationship between warfare and political interest through the relationship between the Bush administration and the Iraq war. Notice that the novel does not completely reject the US's intentions abroad in the way more critical writers might, but the question is posed to the reader: What really is the government's intention? The novel is not about the combat to the same extent it seems to be about the way the government fulfills its intentions—often in clever ways that seem to manipulate the public emotionally into supporting warfare.
The cheerleader
The cheerleader's affection is a mark of honor, as if he earned romantic prowess by his honor on the battlefield. That is one of the oldest motifs in human literature, but in this book, it is strictly symbolic; the cheerleader's affection represents what Billy Lynn has earned but is not allowed to have. He has earned freedom, respect, honor, and a chance to celebrate his American freedom by building a house with someone he loves. But instead, he has to go back to war with no guarantee that he will ever return—and he is personally convinced that the cheerleader will not be waiting for him. She is a symbol for his sacrifice.
The return to war
Why bring a soldier home to enjoy the height of honor and luxury just to send him back to war? The command comes with serious emotional confusion to Billy Lynn who might have assumed that the government's interest in publicizing his "victory" in war might mean that he will be allowed to work for the military in a different capacity. The return to the battleground means that he will have to risk his life again, which reveals to him that his "honor" is really part of his service to the government. He goes from war, to home, and then back to war again—potentially as a martyr. This motif reminds the reader of Uriah the Hittite which frames the government's behavior is a morally dubious light.
