THEME The Search for Meaning

WHAT IS A THEME? Theme: Life lesson, meaning, moral, or message about life or human nature that is communicated by a literary work. In other words… Theme is the underlying message in the story. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out the theme yourself. The writer's task is to communicate on a common ground with the reader. Although the particulars of your experience may be different from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both you and the writer are seeking.

THEMES A theme is not a word, it is a sentence. You don’t have to agree with the theme to identify it. Examples Money can’t buy happiness. Don’t judge people based on the surface. It is better to die free than live under tyranny.

WHAT IS THE THEME? Just beyond the ticket booth Father had painted on a wall in bright red letters the question: DO YOU KNOW WHICH IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL IN THE ZOO? An arrow pointed to a small curtain. There were so many eager, curious hands that pulled at the curtain that we had to replace it regularly. Behind it was a mirror. (1.8.4) The animal in front of you must know where it stands, whether above you or below you. Social rank is central to how it leads its life. Rank determines whom it can associate with and how; where and when it can eat; where it can rest; where it can drink; and so on. Until it knows its rank for certain, the animal lives a life of unbearable anarchy. It remains nervous, jumpy, dangerous. Luckily for the circus trainer, decisions about social rank among higher animals are not always based on brute force. (1.13.3)

EXAMPLE ANSWERS There's an interesting blurring of divisions between man and the natural world in Life of Pi. Human beings become more animalistic; animals become more human. The novel warns against projecting human values onto the animal world. However, the novel also admits it's impossible to experience anything without a way-of-being. The trick, therefore, is to make concessions to other species. Animals in the zoo, while essentially retaining their instincts, take on certain domestic, human-like traits. Human beings in the wild, while still retaining a few human traits, become more animalistic. Through this exchange of human interaction with animals, human beings may learn a truth or two about themselves and the natural world.

Big World of the Theme. Applies to the “Real” World. IDENTIFYING THEMES Themes are not explicit (clearly stated). Themes are implied. Themes are bigger than the story. Small World of the Story

THEMES ARE ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE. Not Animals in the Zoo can be dangerous. Think BIGGER. Find “Real” World advice. Big World of the Theme. Applies to the “Real” World. Small World of the Story

PRACTICE 1.We’ll read each story. 2.Write what you think the theme is. 3.Write another sentence explaining what happens in the story that leads you to believe this. How does the small world of the story connect to the big world theme?