Theme
Feature Menu
What Is Theme?
Universal Themes
Finding the Theme
Making a Judgment
Practice
What Is Theme?
What makes a story linger in our hearts and minds
long after we’ve read it? Often it is the idea on
which the story is built—its theme.
What Is Theme?
Theme—the central idea, or insight, about life or
human behavior that a story reveals
Living a simple life leads to
greater personal freedom.
The deepest loneliness is
sometimes felt when we are
among friends.
Genres
What Is Theme?
In most stories, the theme is not stated directly.
Instead, it is revealed to us through the
characters’ experiences.
[End of Section]
Universal Themes
Different writers from different cultures often
express similar themes.
•  A theme is a generalization
about life or human nature.
•  Certain types of experiences
are common to all people
everywhere.
Universal Themes
Universal themes
•  come up again and again in literature
•  deal with basic human concerns—good and evil,
life and death, love and loss
•  shine a light on our common experiences
•  can help guide us through our lives
Universal Themes
Quick Check
Stories
The Little Red Hen
Beauty and the Beast
The Three Little Pigs
The Ugly Duckling
The Frog Prince
Match these familiar
stories to the appropriate
universal theme.
A It pays to work hard and
plan ahead.
B Appearances can be
deceiving.
[End of Section]
Universal Themes
Quick Check
Stories
A
Beauty and the Beast B
The Three Little Pigs A
The Ugly Duckling B
The Frog Prince B
The Little Red Hen
Match these familiar
stories to the appropriate
universal theme.
A It pays to work hard and
plan ahead.
B Appearances can be
deceiving.
Finding the Theme
Keep the following guidelines in mind when you
want to find and state the theme of a work.
The theme is not the same thing as the
central idea.
•  The central idea is simply the topic. It can be
stated in a single word, such as loyalty.
•  The theme makes some revelation about the
central idea and should be expressed in a
sentence: “Loyalty to a leader is not always
noble.”
Finding the Theme
Writers often express theme through what
their characters learn.
•  Does the main character
change?
•  Does a character realize
something he or she did not
know before?
Finding the Theme
Conflict helps reveal theme.
•  What is the conflict, or struggle between
opposing forces, that the main character faces?
•  How is the conflict resolved?
Conflict
Resolution
Theme
Two friends find a
wallet. One
friend wants to
return it to the
owner; the other
wants to keep it.
They return the
wallet and share
a small reward.
People are often
rewarded for
making the
right moral
decision.
Finding the Theme
Sometimes the title gives clues.
•  Does the title have a special meaning?
•  Does it point to the theme?
The theme applies to the entire work.
•  Test your statement of the theme. Does it apply
to the whole work, not just to parts of it?
Finding the Theme
There is no single way to state the theme.
•  People may express the same
theme in different words.
•  There may be different
opinions about what the main
theme is.
•  The most meaningful literary
works often have more than
one theme.
Finding the Theme
Quick Check
Because of a feud over a piece of land,
Ulrich and Georg are bitter enemies. One
night they encounter each other on the
disputed land. Each thinks of killing the
other. Suddenly a huge tree falls and pins
them both under its weight.
At first the men threaten each other.
After a while, however, they notice each
other’s suffering, make a pact of
friendship, and look forward to being
rescued and living in peace. Then they are
attacked by wolves.
synopsis of “The Interlopers” by Saki
What is the
conflict and how
is it resolved?
What do the
characters learn?
Finding the Theme
Quick Check
Because of a feud over a piece of land,
Ulrich and Georg are bitter enemies. One
night they encounter each other on the
disputed land. Each thinks of killing the
other. Suddenly a huge tree falls and pins
them both under its weight.
At first the men threaten each other.
After a while, however, they notice each
other’s suffering, make a pact of
friendship, and look forward to being
rescued and living in peace. Then they are
attacked by wolves.
synopsis of “The Interlopers” by Saki
What is the
conflict and how
is it resolved?
Two men are
fighting over a
piece of land.
They put the
feud behind
them when they
are both facing
possible death.
Finding the Theme
Quick Check
Because of a feud over a piece of land,
Ulrich and Georg are bitter enemies. One
night they encounter each other on the
disputed land. Each thinks of killing the
other. Suddenly a huge tree falls and pins
them both under its weight.
At first the men threaten each other.
After a while, however, they notice each
other’s suffering, make a pact of
friendship, and look forward to being
rescued and living in peace. Then they are
attacked by wolves.
synopsis of “The Interlopers” by Saki
What do the
characters learn?
Survival is more
important than
land ownership.
Letting go of
hatred feels
good.
Finding the Theme
Quick Check
Because of a feud over a piece of land,
Ulrich and Georg are bitter enemies. One
night they encounter each other on the
disputed land. Each thinks of killing the
other. Suddenly a huge tree falls and pins
them both under its weight.
What is the
theme? (State it
in a sentence.)
At first the men threaten each other.
After a while, however, they notice each
other’s suffering, make a pact of
friendship, and look forward to being
rescued and living in peace. Then they are
attacked by wolves.
synopsis of “The Interlopers” by Saki
[End of Section]
Finding the Theme
Quick Check
Because of a feud over a piece of land,
Ulrich and Georg are bitter enemies. One
night they encounter each other on the
disputed land. Each thinks of killing the
other. Suddenly a huge tree falls and pins
them both under its weight.
At first the men threaten each other.
After a while, however, they notice each
other’s suffering, make a pact of
friendship, and look forward to being
rescued and living in peace. Then they are
attacked by wolves.
synopsis of “The Interlopers” by Saki
What is the
theme? (State it
in a sentence.)
If you wait until
tragedy strikes to
make peace with
your enemies,
you may not be
able to enjoy the
rewards of
forgiveness.
Practice
Title:
Central Ideas:
•  How the main
character changes:
•  How the conflict is
resolved:
•  What the title
suggests:
Theme:
[End of Section]
Practice
Title: “Marigolds”
Central Ideas: growing up, compassion, innocence,
poverty, hope
•  How the main character changes: Lizbeth becomes
more mature, gains compassion.
•  How the conflict is resolved: Lizbeth destroys Miss
Lottie’s marigolds, but Miss Lottie does not get mad or
punish her. Lizbeth says she also planted marigolds.
•  What the title suggests: Marigolds=beauty, hope in
midst of poverty. Lizbeth hates marigolds, but ends up
understanding their purpose.
Theme: One cannot have both innocence and compassion.
Your Turn!
Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Central Ideas:
•  How the main character changes:
•  How the conflict is resolved:
•  What the title suggests:
Theme:
Putting it in a statement
_____________ by ____________
Book’s Title
Author
is about _________________________
Book’s Central idea (love, courage, etc.)
and reveals _______________________
A truth about the central idea
Example
_”Marigolds”__ by __Eugenia Collier___
Book’s Title
Author
is about __growing up______
Book’s Central idea (love, courage, etc.)
and reveals one cannot have both
compassion and innocence
A truth about the central idea
.
Putting it in a statement
_____________ by ____________
Book’s Title
Author
is about _________________________
Book’s Central idea (love, courage, etc.)
and reveals _______________________
A truth about the central idea
Finding the Theme
Quick Check
Because of a feud over a piece of land,
Ulrich and Georg are bitter enemies. One
night they encounter each other on the
disputed land. Each thinks of killing the
other. Suddenly a huge tree falls and pins
them both under its weight.
At first the men threaten each other.
After a while, however, they notice each
other’s suffering, make a pact of
friendship, and look forward to being
rescued and living in peace. Then they are
attacked by wolves.
synopsis of “The Interlopers” by Saki
What is the
conflict and how
is it resolved?
Two men are
fighting over a
piece of land.
They put the
feud behind
them when they
are both facing
possible death.
Finding the Theme
Quick Check
Because of a feud over a piece of land,
Ulrich and Georg are bitter enemies. One
night they encounter each other on the
disputed land. Each thinks of killing the
other. Suddenly a huge tree falls and pins
them both under its weight.
At first the men threaten each other.
After a while, however, they notice each
other’s suffering, make a pact of
friendship, and look forward to being
rescued and living in peace. Then they are
attacked by wolves.
synopsis of “The Interlopers” by Saki
What is the
conflict and how
is it resolved?
Two men are
fighting over a
piece of land.
They put the
feud behind
them when they
are both facing
possible death.
Making a Judgment
Don’t accept a story’s theme as valid just because
the story is in print. Instead, ask yourself:
•  Is this story’s view of life too
simplistic? Too idealistic? Too
cynical?
•  Is the writer trying to push an
idea that does not reflect real
life?
Formula Fiction
Making a Judgment
Quick Check
True love solves all of life’s
problems.
People who have a lot of money or
power are sometimes greedy for
more.
Classify each
theme as either
valid or not
valid. Explain
your choices.
People who do good deeds will be
happy and will not suffer.
[End of Section]
Making a Judgment
Quick Check
True love solves all of life’s
problems.
not valid
(too idealistic)
People who have a lot of money or
power are sometimes greedy for
more.
valid
(true to life)
People who do good deeds will be
happy and will not suffer. not valid
(too idealistic)
Classify each
theme as either
valid or not
valid. Explain
your choices.
The End
What Is Theme?
Genres
Themes are also important to
other genres, or forms of
literature, such as novels, plays,
poems, and even nonfiction
works.
Making a Judgment
Formula fiction
•  is written to a plan
•  satisfies a general preference for upbeat
stories over true-to-life ones
Be on the lookout for formula fiction. Learn to
make your own critical judgments about the
fiction you read.
Book Reflection
1.  Are To Kill a Mockingbird’s themes still
relevant today? Why or why not?
2.  This is one of the most widely read
books in schools. Do you think schools
should continue using it? What value
does it have? Why/why not?
3.  Personal response: Did you like the
book? Why? What was your favorite
part?