Fidelis' Name Symbol
Fidelis' name (which means true) is symbolic of his loyal and true character. He is dependable and straight as an arrow with a steady moral compass. His name therefore symbolizes his character.
War Motif
War is a motif throughout the book chiefly because it impacts Fidelis both when he is an active participant and when he is not. World War One takes him from his home town to the front line in France and also turns out to be the catalyst for his immigration to North Dakota and the life he builds for his family. However World War Two tears the family apart again as two of his sons, effectively "brainwashed" by Tante, fight on the German side and even when prisoners of war in America refuse to speak to their father. War and its impact is a constant Motif in this novel.
Mother Symbol
Delphine's close relationship with Eva is a symbol of the mother-daughter relationship and specifically the relationship that she did not get to have with her own mother, who abandoned her at birth. Eva's kind and caring character symbolizes to Delphine everything that a mother should be and the close bond they develop also symbolizes the bond she longed to have with her own mother.
Contradictory Characters Motif
Another constant Motif is the contradictory nature of people and this is repeated throughout the novel. Beginning with Fidelis, we see that a man whose trade is essentially harsh and cold and brutal is also capable of great beauty and artistry as he sings with a poetic gentleness that belies his day job. Delphine was abandoned and rejected by her mother yet has no bitterness because of this and excels at both the roles of daughter and mother when she is called to step in to be both. Roy is a drunk whose alcoholism caused the negligent deaths of the Chavers family yet he stepped up to be a parent to a child he had no connection to. Throughout this paradox in the characters is a constant and emphasized motif.
Finding Identity Motif
One of the main motifs is the struggle to find one's identity. Each of the character, with the exception of Fidelis, is struggling to get to know themselves. For example, Cyprian is struggling with the realization that he is gay and his confusion is compounded by his strong feelings for Delphine which make him question his sexual identity further. Tante comes to America in search of the same wonderful life that Fidelis has but does not find anything like it and struggles to find a path for herself, ultimately identifying more with the German heritage she has left behind. Two of Fidelis' sons also struggle for identity ultimately identifying more with Tante and the Nazi movement in Germany than with their parents and the freedom they leave behind in America.
