1. Analyzing Theme

2. Analyzing Theme
Theme is the central idea of the work--whether fiction, poetry, or drama.
For many readers, theme is an attractive element because
it gives works meaning; it makes them relevant.
The theme deals with the four general areas
of human experience:
the nature of humanity
the nature of society
the nature of humankind's relationship to the world
the nature of our ethical responsibilities

3. Analyzing Theme Theme vs. Subject
Theme is not the same as the subject or topic of a work.
The subject is what the work is about. You can state the subject in a
word or phrase. (love, death, the nature of truth, coming of age)
In contrast, theme is what the work says about the subject. The
statement of a work's theme requires a complete sentence an
sometimes several sentences. Furthermore, a work's theme must
apply to people outside the work.
What is the writer’s message to his readers about coming of age?
One must endure a pivotal moment in youth in order to understand the difference between perception and reality.
Remember that a work can have many subjects and thus more than one theme. This concept is especially true of complex works.

4. Analyzing Theme Theme is NOT: expressed in a single word
the purpose of a work
the moral
the conflict

5. Identifying the Theme in Five Steps
To identify the theme, be sure that you’ve first identified the story’s plot, the way the story uses characterization, and the primary conflict in the story.

6. Identifying the Theme in Five Steps
1. Summarize the plot by writing a one- sentence description for the exposition, the conflict, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.
2. Identify the subject/topic of the work.

7. Identifying the Theme in Five Steps
3. Identify the insight or truth that was learned about the subject.
• How did the protagonist change?
• What lesson did the protagonist learn from the resolution of the conflict?
4. State how the plot presents the primary insight or truth about the subject.
5. Write one or more generalized, declarative sentences that state what was learned and how it was learned.

8. Theme Litmus Test
Is the theme supported by evidence from the work itself?
Are all the author’s choices of plot, character, conflict, and tone controlled by this theme?

9. 2005 Q3 Prompt
In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess “That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.