What are the motifs in The Broken Cord by Michael Dorris?

Responsibility is a recurring idea. Michael spends some time soon after Adam's adoption on the Native American reservations. There he finds extreme poverty and deprivation. While he blames at least part of the situation on the government cutbacks and the situation, he points out that the Indian people have a responsibility to take care of themselves. Even when programs and opportunities are available, many of the people are not taking advantage of those chances but are seeking easier ways of dealing with life—such as having more children so that the welfare check will be larger.