Abandonment
The main motifs in the narrative are trauma and loneliness which are byproducts of familial abandonment in this scenario. As a fatherless child, Sequoyah only knows the love of a single parent who is also neglectful and an addict. He becomes accustomed to disappointments from a mother who endangers him and eventually gets herself imprisoned. The unsuccessful efforts to secure her freedom further worsen his isolation as he develops abandonment issues. Seq experiences abandonment of all kinds until he is taken into the foster care system where he finds a home in the Troutts. Moreover, a connection builds with other foster kids particularly Rosemary since she is of the same Cherokee descent as Seq. Not long after, his new companion starts acting distant and frequently disappears of which affects his emotional trust. The final psychological trauma is her suicide that happens in front of him, which throws him off for years to come.
Displacement
The theme of displacement holds double meaning as the characters struggle with a sense of belonging both physically and in terms of identity. With absent parents, Seq already lacks a sense of home and has to constantly find it in others in the foster care system. Similarly, the kids in foster care also feel displaced, and recreating new lives and homes becomes part of the routine. At the home, Rosemary acts as this anchor because they are both of Cherokee background which brings forth the sense of belonging. As half-Cherokee, he struggles with his own identity since his cultural heritage and ethnicity lingers on both sides. On a larger scale, Hobson delves into the cultural history of the Native Americans and the racial tensions that threaten their heritage. As such demonstrate the feeling of displacement that the Natives experienced in the past that persists in the present.
Coming of Age
Though the story is told from the perspective of a grown Sequoyah, he reflects on the emotional development of his young self. Fundamentally the novel is a bildungsroman, complete with the psychological growth that the protagonist undergoes at that stage. Prematurely welcomed into the adult world, Seq has to abandon his innocence in order to navigate this treacherous new chapter of life. The adult Seq reflects on the concepts that he had to grasp at that point while salvaging his relationship with his mother. He comes to a realization that the mother is also a struggling human going through life, trying to figure out her past trauma too. Furthermore, the concept of death presents itself in the most traumatizing way schooling him on coming to terms with heavy matters.
