ThemeTheme

What is a Theme?

• Theme is the message that the author is trying to convey to the reader.

• Theme is the central insight or controlling idea of a piece of fiction.

Themes

• Not all stories have themes. Sometimes the author’s purpose is just to elicit an emotional response from a reader.

Theme?

• Theme exists when:– An author has made a serious

attempt to record life accurately or to reveal some truth about it.

– An author has deliberately introduced as a unifying element some concept or theory of life that the story illustrates.

How Do You Find Theme?

• Although there is no one way to discover theme, asking some questions may help:– Has the protagonist changed? If so,

what have they learned?– What was the central conflict? How

was it resolved? What does that say about the world?

– Does the title have significant meaning?

Writing About Theme

• Theme should always be expressed in a complete sentence.Bad: MotherhoodGood: Motherhood sometimes has

more frustrations than rewards.Bad: LoveGood: Love often causes us to do

things we wouldn’t normally do.

Writing About Theme

• Theme should be stated as a generalization about life– Don’t use character names and story

specifics• Good: “Often redemption comes with the

confession and acceptance of responsibility for a wrongdoing.”

• Bad: “Hester Prynne by confessing her sin and accepting responsibility finds redemption.”

Writing About Theme

• Be careful that you don’t make your generalization larger than what is warranted by the story.– Terms like every, all, never, always should be

avoided. Use some, often, frequently instead.• Good: “A person whose honesty and tolerance

have often made her susceptible to the strong will of others may reach a point where she stands up for herself or others.

• Bad: “Habitually compliant and tolerant mothers eventually stand up to their children.

Writing About Theme

• Theme statements must be supported by the story.– It must account for all of the major details of the

story. If there is a significant event that doesn’t fit into our theme, than we may not have fully explored the author’s intent.

– It cannot be contradicted by any detail of the story. If there is an event that doesn’t seem to fit, again we may not have fully understood the author’s intent.

– It cannot rely on supposed facts – facts not actually stated or clearly implied by the story.

Writing About Theme

• Remember that there is no one way of stating theme.– Many stories have multiple layers of theme.– There are many ways of getting at a similar

idea.• “Sometimes those who have the least education

actually understand the most about life.• Frequently, people will only tolerate abuse to a

certain point before they stand up for themselves or others.

• The relationships between mothers and daughters is frequently strained and full of misunderstanding.

Writing About Theme

• Avoid (like the plague) using clichés as theme statements.– Although these are often accurate,

they undercut what you are trying to say by making your point seem hackneyed.• “One good turn deserves another.”• “Spare the rod and spoil the child”• “Confession is good for the soul”