What’s the Theme? How to identify the theme of a story.

What is a theme? Theme is a term that describes the main idea or message of a poem, story or book. A theme is usually more than one word, but is a brief description about the message that the author wants to get across. When you are looking to find the theme of a story, the first question you should ask yourself is “What is the author trying to say to the reader?”

Where is the theme? The theme is something that the reader has to discover from reading the story or book. The theme is rarely stated in the story. It is the job of the reader to discover it. Just like a detective looks at clues to put together a story. As a reader, you need to look at the clues ( the plot, characters and setting) to infer the theme of the story.

Why Should You Care About theme? Finding the theme in a story or piece of literature is an important reading skill. What is even more important is for you to be able to use the text to support your answer. This lesson will show you how to be a detective and search out the “theme” of what you are reading. All good detectives show evidence or proof. When you are talking about theme, you will need to back up your answer with examples from the text passage.

Think About It… Ask yourself these questions to help discover the theme: How did the character grow or change throughout the book? What did the main character learn? What moral lesson or life lesson could someone take away from the story/book?

Try to be Specific When you think about the theme, don’t just write a one word answer. Use some of the details in the book, to help you write a detailed theme as it related to the characters in the book. For example, if the theme is love or friendship, think about how this played itself out in the story. Use specific examples and details from the story to prove that you have discovered the theme.

More than one Theme Many times, books will have more than one theme. One story may include themes of love, hate, jealousy, revenge and death. When this occurs, try to tie all of the events together into one main message. This will be the main theme of the story. Love Hate Jealousy

Look at the Clues! Locating the theme of a story is really quite simple, once you look at the clues. A key clue for finding the theme would be the main character’s thoughts and actions. The character will magnify the theme of the book or story by what he/she says, thinks and does.

What About Fables? Fables are stories that will have a moral for their theme. Aesop’s Fables always have a clear moral lesson that the character learns at the end. For example, in the Hare and the Tortoise, the moral is “ Slow and steady wins the race.” When you are looking for a theme in a fable, they can usually be found in the last line of the fable.

Common Themes in Fiction Love Death Redemption Good vs. Evil Prejudice Revenge Freedom Friendship Individualism Coming of Age Overcoming Fears Starting Over Fiction books usually do NOT have a moral for a theme.

The theme of a story is what the author is trying to say about life. It is usually something universal, meaning that it will connect with people of all races, cultures and religions. Every human being can relate to love, loneliness, fear etc…

Talk About It… Think about a movie that you saw recently. Talk about some of the themes that you think were shown throughout the film.

In Conclusion An author of a book is simply weaving together a story. Just think about what the author wants you to remember the most! When you find that, you will have identified the theme!