What Is Theme?

How Can I Find the Theme?

Recurring Themes

Practice

Theme: Truths About Our Lives

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Some stories have an effect on us that goes beyond the suspense of following characters and events.

What Is Theme?

These stories offer a deeper meaning that we can apply to our own lives.

The deeper meaning that a reader takes away from a story is called the story’s theme.

What Is Theme?

It lurks beneath the surface of the story

and sometimes isn’t revealed until the end.

The meaning, or theme, of a story comes from both the writer and the individual reader.

What Is Theme?

meaning

Most writers say they don’t know their theme when they begin to write.

What Is Theme?

Instead, the theme emerges or develops as the story or poem is written.

The theme becomes clear to the reader in a similar way—

What Is Theme?

gradually, as the reader makes his or her way through the story.

A story’s theme usually grows out of what its writer believes about life.

What Is Theme?

Frightening experiences make you tough.

Frightening experiences leave emotional scars.

Readers may differ on what they see as a story’s theme. The two students below have both read a story about a family hiding from the Nazis.

What Is Theme?

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Look at these elements to find a story’s theme. Remember that your interpretation of a story’s theme may be different from someone else’s.

How Can I Find the Theme?

You Can’t Go Home Again

Possible theme: You can’t stop places and people from changing.

TITLE: Authors often use titles to hint at a story’s theme.

Look at these elements to find a story’s theme. Remember that your interpretation of a story’s theme may be different from someone else’s.

How Can I Find the Theme?

An irresponsible boy tells a lie that sends a man to prison; then the boy tells the truth.

Possible theme: A person’s highest duty is to his own conscience.

CHARACTERS: How do the main characters change? What do they discover?

Look at these elements to find a story’s theme. Remember that your interpretation of a story’s theme may be different from someone else’s.

How Can I Find the Theme?

Sadie realizes she’s having the same argument with her best friend as she did with her parents.

Possible theme: You can’t escape yourself.

BIG MOMENTS: Which scenes or passages seem most important?

Look at these elements to find a story’s theme. Remember that your interpretation of a story’s theme may be different from someone else’s.

How Can I Find the Theme?

After ten years of being out of touch, Mike shows up at his father’s birthday party.

Possible theme: Love is stronger than pride.

THE RESOLUTION: How are conflicts or problems in the story settled?

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People all over the world share the same dreams and fears. It’s not surprising that stories from all over the world share the same themes.

Recurring Themes

We call these recurring themes: themes that appear over and over.

Can you identify the recurring themes in these two passages?

Recurring Themes

One day a man came to our house and offered my mother twice her yearly wages to buy our land.

My mother told him our family had lived next to this bay for six generations, and his money couldn’t move us.

I told them no tourist was going to ski through the room where I was born without hitting a wall first.

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The government told us they needed to build a ski lodge right where our cabin sat. They said they needed to bring in tourists.

1. What does the title of this poem suggest about its theme?

Let’s Try It

In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers

Dear Sirs:Of course I’ll come. I’ve packed my galoshesand three packets of tomato seeds. Denise calls them“love apples.” My father says where we’re goingthey won’t grow.

Practice

Let’s Try It

2. What has the speaker of this poem discovered regarding Executive Order 9066?

I am a fourteen-year-old girl with bad spellingand a messy room. If it helps any, I will tell youI have always felt funny using chopsticksand my favorite food is hot dogs.My best friend is a white girl named Denise—we look at boys together. She sat in front of me all through grade school because of our names:O’Connor, Ozawa. I know the back of Denise’s head very well. I tell her she’s going bald. She tells me I copy on tests.We’re best friends.

Practice

Let’s Try It

Practice

I saw Denise today in Geography class.She was sitting on the other side of the room.“You’re trying to start a war,” she said, “giving secrets away

to the Enemy. Why can’t you keep your big mouth shut?”

I didn’t know what to say.

3. What big moment happens on this page? How does it tie in to a possible theme?

4. How is the situation resolved?

Let’s Try It

I gave her a packet of tomato seedsand asked her to plant them for me, told herwhen the first tomato ripenedshe’d miss me.

Practice

5. What do you think is the poem’s theme?

On Your Own

To begin your exploration of recurring themes, look again at the two themes below:

Even in extraordinary circumstances, people still do ordinary things, like fight, make up, and fall in love.

The human spirit can triumph over evil.

Think of novels, stories, poems, and plays you have studied or read on your own. Think also of movies, plays, and TV shows you have seen. With a group of classmates, list titles of works that reflect these two themes.

Practice

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The End

Theme: Truths About Our Lives