Since this podcast and blog began we have tried to not only discuss and great writing, acting, visuals and music of Once Upon a Time, but also the themes and motifs within the stories themselves. I find it fascinating to uncover the motifs that writers place in the story to give you clues to the larger arc of the story. From Hitchcock, George Lucas, Spielberg and many more directors will place objects, use color schemes, etc to sometimes give you clues to the story ahead. Here is a very good post to give you some ideas on motifs in literature:

“a red light means stop
an arrow means “this way”
a light bulb means “new idea”
the numerals 10, put together, mean ten
a heart means love
a wink means “just kidding”

See how you really do recognize symbols in everyday life?

When you read literature, you should keep your mind open to possible symbols that may not be so obvious at first. For example, if you read a scene that involves a skunk lurking in the background, you might wonder what that animal could signify.”

Read more here: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/writingabookreport/a/Symbols-And-Motifs-In-Literature.htm