The motif of fatherhood and fatherlessness
By Hondo killing Ed, the reader is left in a predicament: Who is Johnny's father? Is it Vittoro? That relationship seems strained at best, and besides, Vittoro seems to be Johnny's godfather more than his father. This is evident when Vittoro offers his bachelors to Angie as suitors. He's not interested in filling that role himself. Hondo seems like the obvious candidate, but he literally killed Johnny's real father. This quest to hold sway in the life of a child is a central motif of the novel.
The allegory of Hondo as a Christ-figure
Here are some features Hondo shares in common with Jesus Christ: They are both shown as protectors, they both offer mercy and second-chances, they are commonly admired by fair men and often despised by selfish, biased men. They both represent death in the narrative. They both fill the gap that fatherlessness causes. They both lay their lives down with dignity and silence. They're both fearless when captured, and in the end, they manage to defeat evil.
This means that Hondo's character is a type of allegory. When Jesus says, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's," perhaps that moment is the greatest similarity to this novel's plot. Hondo manages to see past the arbitrary nature of politics and warfare, and this allows him to see clearly and want the best for people.
The desert as a symbol of hope
Ironically, the desert comes to represent life in the narrative, instead of death and decay. When one looks at the desert as a landscape, it's easy to focus on the skulls and ignore the fact that the desert is teeming with life. In fact, it's worth fighting over, apparently. When Hondo is asked to face death, he does it by finding refuge in the landscape and in the magic that is so obvious in a place like the desert.
Violence as a motif
The plot is essentially a cycle repeated several times. The cycle is that Hondo has to be alone and survive combat to return to his new family, where he has to alleviate some kind of conflict, and he wins, but the danger is not gone. Eventually, a new party will attack and try to kill Hondo, and again, Hondo will be called upon to execute judgment against the mindless and violent.
The motif of cheating or playing straight
This motif is highlighted most by the character of Phalinger. This is because doing the right thing is a dilemma at the center of Phalinger's character. A known card cheater, he only goes along with Ed Lowe because of his lack of moral fiber—and yet, he uses the pursuit to work through the ethics of it, and eventually, he recognizes that Lowe is evil, and Hondo is good, and being on Lowe's side might not be right. This theme is a defining feature of the way characters are portrayed in the narrative.
