What are the motifs in Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper?

Environment is an important motif in the story, though the effects are not really discussed. Gerald is living with his mother as a very young boy and he is already dealing with the effects of an abusive and neglectful mother. It's noted that he doesn't know anything that he would have learned from Sesame Street and doesn't even know the name of the city where he lives. But by the time he's eight, he is living with his Aunt Queen and has developed a love of reading - a love that would probably not have been fostered under his mother's care.