What are the motifs in The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt?

Tenacity is a recurring idea in the story. Levi Katznelson thinks that his brother has it all: intelligence, looks, athletic ability, and charm. He always lives under the shadow of his big brother. Levi loves and admires his brother and wants to be just like him. When his brother comes home from three years of service with the Marines in a foreign war, life for the brothers is turned on its end. Nothing is the same and normal no longer can be used to describe Boaz's behavior.