Motifs

A **Motif** is something that is repeated throughout the story. It could be a saying or even a routine that the character would do. For example, if there was a story about a person who would stand on their head everyday, the motif would be that they stand on their head everyday. But only if that saying is mentioned thoughout the book.
 * What is a MOTIF?**

1. **The boys in Stanley's tent always get in the same order in the water truck line**. //It's occurs when the water truck comes at noon//. This could most likley be out of rank of people in the group since for example, X-Ray has stayed out of the most of the boys so he's known and respected more than others while Zero is someone nobody cares about so he's last along with Stanley, who nobody really knows since he just came a few months ago.

2. "**No-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather**" Comes up any time, which is frequently, //when Stanley and his family need to blame something on someone//. It's a family joke that's been passed from generations from the mystery of Madam Zeroni's curse.

3."**This isn't a Girl Scout camp**." Mr.Sir constantly //brings this up when he wants them to work harder or dig faster when they're out digging//. Though ironically, in the end, Camp Greenlake does actually become a Girl Scout camp! But it still gave the kids in tent D something near to motivation to work too. Or it would scare the kids just by being in Mr. Sir's frightening and intimidating presence.

4. How they always **spit in the holes** as a tradition //after they finnish digging their hole// possibly out of disgust of digging. They might also spit to just say they've already dug that hole. Or even to say they're glad they're done digging for the day.

5. **Different curses** also comes up a lot in the book, this may be because of Stanley's //"No-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather"// or how Kate said //"God will punish you."// since it was him who messed up in the end of Madam Zeroni's instructions. Could all of those curses be strung together?

6. How Kate Barlow and would say "**God will punish you al**l." //She said this when the Sheriff of Greenlake told her that he would punish Sam.// But she herself knew that was wrong of people to do. Even in those dark times of seregation. In a way, she placed a curse on the sheriff and even the whole town of Greenlake. 7. The **water truck always came at the same time about noon**. //This occurs every time the boys dig.// Maybe it's because since it's the most hottest time of the day, if that's possible! It would also be the most time when the boys would drink the most water.

8. "**Gods Thumb**", seems to bring good luck to people considering how Stanley, his grandfather and Zero found it to even save their own lives. //All of those three times they were saved by the mountain// and it's food. But usually at the times when they needed the refuge more than ever.

9. Their holes always have to be **five feet deep** and **five feet wide** because that is the length of their shovels, //When they dig the holes are exactly five feet deep and five feet wide except for one shovel.// But why would X-Ray's be shorter?

10. Also they say "**God's thumb" has refuge on it** meaning it has water and food. //It was full of onions that let Stanley, Zero and Stanley the first survive all those days in the dessert.// . 11. How Sam would say to former Katherine, "**I can fix that**." It was always kind of Sam to help fix Miss Barlows schoolhouse. But it was sweet how //he said it when he helped fix her window, the roof,k the door and her "Broken heart//."

12. How everyone reminded each other in the old town Greenlake how well **Sam's onion's worked as medicine** and how well it worked and healed and even tasted. //It was even a cure for the yellow spotted lizards and helped for other illnesses ranging from colds to warts!//

13. They also talk about Kate Barlow's **special spiced peaches** in Greenlake. //Her spiced peaches are mentioned as "sploosh" that the boys ate and drank under the boat and how it explained when Kate Barlow gave some of her jars of spiced peaches to Sam and how her special peaches were mentioned in the introduction of Greenlake as a town.// .