The Search for Meaning

-Theme: A message about life, human nature, society, or the world we live in, which the author intends for the reader to understand. It is communicated within a literary work. - A long work, like a novel, or a full-length play, may have several themes. -Theme differs from the subject or topic of a literary work in that theme involves a statement or opinion about the topic. For example: the subject of a story might be war while the theme might be that war is meaningless.

-A theme is not a word -Express theme through a sentence. -Do not confuse the topic of the text with what the author intends to show you about the topic. -You don’t have to agree with the theme to identify it. TopicTheme GreedMoney cannot buy happiness. FreedomIt is better to die free than to live under tyranny. TraditionTraditions can create a stagnant society.

 The Theme:  Rarely stated in the text  Instead, the reader must usually consider the plot, characters, setting, etc. to infer the theme.  Often, theme can be extracted through an analysis of conflict in the story: ▪ How have the characters experienced the conflicts? ▪ Did the characters learn something through their experience?

Think about classic literature (i.e., the books we read in school). While it is true that these books often depict timeless events (characters falling in love; characters overcoming obstacles), these texts also possess timeless and sometimes universal themes (love conquers all; greed corrupts the good).

Universal themes add to the timelessness of a text because such themes are relatable to us all--either in our experiences or in our dreams. Think about The Wizard of Oz. The theme could be described as, “That which one seeks already lies within.”

 Through theme, authors intend to broaden a reader’s understanding of the human experience.  This is especially true for universal themes (e.g., love conquers all).  Such universal themes connect readers across different cultures, and different life experiences.

A theme can be something every human experiences, regardless of their location or station in life.

 Theme can be, but does not have to be, a universal truth about the human experience. previous experience of life and literature.  An understanding of theme might be dependent upon one's previous experience of life and literature.

 The only person you can truly trust is yourself  It is important to follow your instincts  Man is inherently evil  Man is inherently good  Its not always good to listen to society  Its important to never give up  Human beings are products of their society  It’s a crime to kill innocence  The innocent aren’t always treated fairly  It is important to stand up for what you believe in  Working as a team or group is more powerful than working alone  Be careful who you date  Be careful who your friends are  Trust your instincts  Do what you must to survive  Follow your imagination  There are times when you should get revenge on your enemies  Life doesn’t always have happy endings  The force is a metaphor for spirituality  The force is the energy that binds all life together

 Beauty and the Beast - The theme could be described as, “One must look beyond superficial surface beauty and look for what's lies within the heart.”