What are the motifs in Suttree by Cormac McCarthy?

The power of nature is a recurring idea in the story. A body of water that bears discarded sewage, condoms, dead bodies, spent fuel, garbage, and filth, the Tennessee River still provides fish that earn Suttree a living, turtles which nourish Michael, and mussels upon which Reese depends. The river provides a constant source of life for the people in this area and there is a sense that it is able to purge itself enough to continue to do so. Suttree, himself, literally lives in the water in his houseboat.