Motifs are recurring images or themes that appear throughout the novel to bridge narrative gaps. These motifs link seemingly disconnected episodes. They also highlight the novel's circular nature. As the plot progresses, each motif reemerges in various combinations. One example is the peculiar plagues of insects that appear throughout the story, such as the scorpions in Meme's bathtub, the butterflies that follow Mauricio Babilonia, and the ants that continuously infest the house.

Men dressed in black robes parade through like a death march whenever they are called upon to justify governmental actions. Numbers frequently recur—there are twenty-one original founders and twenty-one original revolutionary soldiers. The theme emphasizing the futility of human efforts culminates in the isolation of Colonel Aureliano, who makes fish, sells them, and uses the earnings to craft more fish. Caught in this endless loop, Colonel Aureliano confines himself to his workroom, only stepping out to relieve himself. Bodily functions, such as drunkenness leading to vomiting and tears, also serve as a motif.

Amaranta joins this cycle through her sewing, her theme song mirroring that of the weaver, the spider. She sews and un-sews buttons, much like the mythical Penelope, who buys time by weaving and unraveling her shroud. Memories are a key motif, appearing in their simplest form each time we hear about Colonel Aureliano facing the firing squad. Ursula embodies these memories, and as they fade, so does she. Jose Arcadio Buendia repeatedly reads and rereads the parchments. Whether time moves forward or stands still, it is perpetually a Monday in March in the room with Melquiades' manuscript. All these motifs are solitary games the characters use to endure the one hundred years.