1. DEATHWATCH
themes

2. definition – “a general truth about life”
Remember that a theme is the idea that the piece of literature conveys. It should be expressible in a sentence or two and defensible with evidence from the text.
There may be more than one theme to a text, especially a novel.
The theme is not the same as the topic or subject. For example one of the topics of the novel Deathwatch is survival. The theme would be: "To survive in a hostile environment one must rely on intellect more than physical strength."
The theme is not a moral. The theme is an idea the author conveys, a comment on how life is, rather than how life should be. Morals, tell us how things should be; "A person should be nice to his/her fellow human". Themes tell us how life is; "People are capable of being incredibly cruel in the pursuit of self-promotion."
The theme is not literature specific. It is a general truth about life as conveyed by the characters and events. So it is not "Ben had to use his head to survive", but "A person must use his head to survive".

3. themes in the novel
Deathwatch has many themes, and one or two could arguably be the central theme. These themes deal with a variety of topics or subjects.
survival
the possibility of evil
success and failure
self preservation
trust and human nature
goals
the desire to escape
revenge
sense of right and wrong
Any one of these topics could be developed into a theme simply by answering this question:
What idea does Robb White develop with regard to (topic)?
eg - What idea does Robb White develop with regard to the idea of survival?

4. logical interpretation + supporting details = valid response
What idea does Robb White develop with regard to the idea of survival?
Your answer (logical interpretation), if defensible with events and details in the novel (supporting details), will be a thematic statement (valid response): In order to survive in a hostile environment, a person has to rely as much or more on his/her mental abilities than his/her physical abilities.
Proof:
Ben had to overcome his sense of frustration and the temptation to give up, like when Madec smashed in the water jug
Ben had to think of how to survive, even when it seemed impossible, evident when he used the woodpecker nests as sandals
Ben had to outsmart his enemy in order to overcome him. He displayed this ability when he hid in the sand, and lit Madec's tent on fire.

5. assignment
Take THREE of the topics and develop a thematic statement for each.
Provide evidence from the novel to defend your theme.
Each statement of theme and its proof will take the form of a paragraph of at least five sentences.
TOPICS
survival
the possibility of evil
success and failure
self preservation
goals
revenge
the desire to escape
trust and human nature
sense of right and wrong

6. Deathwatch QUIZ 42 multiple choice 14 true/false 1 short answer
setting, character, plot
14 true/false
character, plot
1 short answer
character / plot