Identifying Theme
What Is a Theme?
What exactly is this elusive thing called theme?
The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching.
The theme of a fictional work is its general statement about life, human nature or elements of society.
In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out the theme yourself.
Finally, and most important, a theme is a sentence.
An understanding of theme is dependent upon one's previous experience of life and literature. At the same time, theme in literature can enlarge one's understanding of life.
A theme is NOT...
Themes are NOT trite sayings (clichés, platitudes, adages) such as “Actions speak louder than words,” “Love hurts,” or “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Themes do NOT refer to the specific names or events of a particular literary piece. A theme does not summarize a work, but it does reflect what happens in the work. A theme drops character names and uses more general terms like “parents,” “leaders,” “society,” or “young people” in a general observation about the human experience.
Themes avoid absolute terms such as “all,” “none,” “everything,” or “always” because they indicate sloppy thinking; they are categorical, no exceptions. Terms like “can,” “sometimes,” or “often” suggest a more realistic view of the variety of human experiences.
Common Artistic Topics and Themes
Humanity is always at battle with its nature: Man is often his own worst enemy. Characters often experience some form of internal struggle (e.g., sexual, addiction, aging, etc.).
Humanity is always at battle with the natural world: There are certain undeniable events that will always happen: the moon will rise, the sun will set, and humanity will struggle against the inevitable power that is Mother Nature.
Individuals are always battling with society: No matter the subject, individuals face constant conflict as they try to come to terms with society.
The loss of innocence accompanies entry into the adult world: Sometimes the protagonist is eager to step into this new world. Sometimes he or she is thrust into it by some incident, or often some traumatic event such as death, abuse, or even a divorce.
Death is a part of life: Awareness of the inevitability of death, the mystery that surrounds it, is an essential aspect of being human.
Satisfaction with divinity is elusive and difficult: Humanity tries to understand and make peace with God or some other higher power, but satisfaction can be elusive and difficult.
Love is the worthiest of pursuits: Of all human emotions, it is love that gives life meaning, and love can overcome great obstacles to accomplish its purpose.
Adversity can be overcome: Whether individuals are born into, or fall into, desperate situations (e.g., tyranny, injustice, plain bad luck, etc.), they can triumph over adversity and rise up time and time again.
People can truly benefit from hardship and misfortune: Reason, courage and strength can reach their full potential when challenged by a hostile environment.
Life is a journey of self-discovery: When torn between two separate worlds, each with its own set of values, individuals must work to find their own true beliefs.
The benefits criminal activity are not worth the consequences: Honesty should be honored and criminals will eventually be punished--sometimes in unexpected ways.
People determine the course of their own lives: Although others can tempt us, our acceptance and performance of many acts remains our responsibility; our willful choices often determine our future.
It is sometimes best to determine one’s own views of right and wrong rather than follow others: What society teaches is not always right. Individuals must sometimes rely on their conscience and courage to derive the proper path for their actions.
Every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone.
Jealousy can cause lasting damage to individuals and relationships:
Racism and prejudice are detrimental to society: By respecting and tolerating racial, cultural, and religious differences, people can live peacefully together.
Racism are prejudice are caused by ignorance and insecurity:
Human beings are still animals at their core and will do almost anything to ensure their own survival.
When individuals of successive generations disagree about essential beliefs and values, the resulting gap in communication can have a destructive effect on their relationship as well as how society functions.
People with realistic goals tend to be more successful than those who put little thought into their future.
Hysteria often takes the place of logic and causes people to behave in an irrational manner, believing things that under normal conditions they would doubt.
Much of our learning happens outside the classroom. Sometime our private discoveries show us the falsity of society that the classroom or society teaches as truth.
Democracy is better than a dictatorship.
Nothing lifts the veil off a man's true character like power.
the reality of a man is different than what appears.
clinging to a memory from our past can prevent us from appreciating our present life
Trying to convince people with ideas and words is more effective than trying to force people to do what you want.
Human can survive independently. Everyone needs help from other people.
Different people have different ideas about what's valuable or beautiful.
Good events and bad events occur in a rotation: Just when you think life is finally going to be easy, something bad happens to balance it all out.
Grief and anguish are integral to the human existence: Many artistic works explore grief in human life, often in order to show how living, in itself, it important--whether one lives in joy or sorrow is of little consequence. Example: William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying
Sacrifices and hard work pay off in the end: Sacrifices and hard work pay off in the end, despite the challenges along the way. Black Boy, The Art of Fielding, and the film 42 are just a few examples of creative works conveying this popular theme.
Selfless acts of heroism keep communities together: Literature employing this theme often exploits the actions of individuals who sacrifice in favor of the greater good. Examples include: John Hersey's Hiroshima, William Faulkner's Light in August
Friendship is dependent on sacrifice: This is the idea that you can't have friends if you don't act like a friend. The movie Gallipoli, and the novels All Quiet on the Western Front and Flowers for Algernon convey this theme.
Family is important: Sacrifices for family are honored and explored, as are the family bonds that survive adversity. For examples, see Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and Little House on the Prarie.
Fate is just a rationalization for the choices individuals make: Creative works with this theme--like Flaubet's Madame Bovary--often include a character blaming his or his situation on fate.
Death is part of the life cycle: Literary works with this theme show how death and life and intricately connected; see John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.
All human pursuits are ultimately futile: In works with this theme, human actions pale in comparison to forces such as the Gods, nature, and time. Albert Camus' The Stranger and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot are cited as such works.
Human beings all have the same needs: From Montagues to Capulets in Romeo and Juliet or the characters in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, book after book asserts that rich or poor, educated or dumb, all human beings need love and other basic needs met.
Hope and activity for peace must not be abandoned but constantly renewed with increased vigor and awareness:
The socioeconomic class, area, and lifestyle one is born into are not insignificant: Examples: The Great Gatsby
Examples: Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird
It is more valuable for people to assimilate than to be unique or different:
It is important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority:
It always better to be original than to imitate or use the ideas of others:
It best for individuals to accept who they are and what they have.
No one can ever be truly original:
Persistence more important than ability in determining a person’s success:
People more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others:
Success and happiness depend on the choices people make rather than on factors beyond their control:
Success and happiness on factors beyond people's control rather than the choices they make:
People achieve more success by cooperation than by competition:
It's necessary for people to combine their efforts with those of others in order to be most effective.
People should pay more attention to people who are older and more experienced than they are:
A strong commitment to technological or industrial progress can cause a society to neglect other values.
Society should not limit people’s exposure to some kinds of information or forms of expression.
Organizations or groups most successful when their members pursue individual wishes and goals:
People do not need to compare themselves with others in order to appreciate what they have:
We can benefit from learning about the flaws of people we admire and respect:
https://sites.google.com/site/mendomundo/home/death-in-tehran
Project Idea: Theme-in-a-Bottle
PlasticSodaBottle
Looking for an interesting project that showcases this learned skill? Here's one of my favorites.
Materials needed:
Two-liter plastic soda bottle or some other unbreakable see-through container
Construction paper
Scissors
Markers, crayons, colored pencils
Tissue paper
Glue
Photo Credit: travis manley/Istockphoto
Letter and bottle development guidelines:
A character in your text wants to share what he or she has learned as a result of his or her experiences through the course of the story.
The character has decided to send a message in a bottle or some other appropriate container.
Decorate your container with symbols and scenery appropriate to your novel and its theme.
Write a letter from your character's point of view. This letter should express the main character's feelings about the life lessons he or she has learned. At the beginning of the letter, state the theme you think the text conveyed. In the body of the letter, make sure you incorporate three points that support your ideas.
The bottle you create will be given to a student in another class who will judge if you presented three points that connect to your theme.
Be creative! Be neat! Make sure you write as the character in the novel would.