Theme

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: o An author has made a serious attempt to record life accurately or to reveal some truth about it. o 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: o How does the protagonist change? What does he or she learn? o What is the central conflict? How is it resolved? What does that say about the world? o What is the significant meaning of the title?

Writing About Theme Theme should always be expressed in a complete sentence. Bad: Motherhood Good: Motherhood sometimes has more frustrations than rewards. Bad: Love Good: Love often causes us to do things we wouldn’t normally do.

Writing About Theme Theme should be stated as a generalization about life, a universal truth that could apply to all people o Don’t use character names and story specifics  Bad: Hester Prynne finds redemption by confessing her sin and accepting responsibility.  Good: Often redemption only comes with the confession and acceptance of responsibility for a wrongdoing.

Writing About Theme Be careful that you don’t make your generalization larger than what is warranted by the story. Use a qualifying word. o Terms like every, all, never, always should be avoided. Use some, often, frequently instead.  Bad: An habitually compliant and tolerant mother eventually will stand up to her children.  Good: A person whose honesty and tolerance have often made her susceptible to the strong will of others might reach a point where she stands up for herself or others.

Writing About Theme Theme statements must be supported by the story. o 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, then we may not have fully explored the author’s intent. o 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. o 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. o Many stories have multiple layers of theme. o 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 often strained and full of misunderstanding.

Writing About Theme Avoid (like the plague) using clichés as theme statements. o A cliché is an overused saying that has little meaning. o Although clichés are often accurate, they undercut what you are trying to say by making your point seem hackneyed or trite.  “One good turn deserves another.”  “Spare the rod and spoil the child”  “Confession is good for the soul”

Theme Exercises Read the following theme statements. For each statement, identify what is wrong with the statement and then write a new version that corrects the mistake. o All’s fair in love and war. Problem: Revision:

Theme Exercises Hester Prynne learns that the people in her town were all hypocrites. Problem: Revision:

Theme Exercises Tolerance Problem: Revision:

Theme Exercises What goes around comes around. Problem: Revision:

Theme Exercises Lonely people are pathetic. Problem: Revision:

Theme Exercises Love Problem: Revision:

Theme Exercises Oedipus realizes that the blind prophet Teiresias is not the one who could not see. Oedipus through his pride was blinded to the truth. Problem: Revision: