Elements of Fiction Focus on THEME

Directly Stated Putting it in so many words 1

The theme of a fable is its moral.

The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching.

The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave.

Theme In Robert McNeil’s article, “The Trouble with Television” There are problems with television.

2 Implied Indirectly Saying it, but not saying it

In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out the theme yourself.

Life is a yo-yo. It's a series of ups and downs. THROUGH metaphor

THROUGH simile Dream Deferred What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load Or does it just explode? Langston Hughes

THROUGH personification Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver I thought the earth remembered me, she took me back so tenderly, arranging her dark skirts, her pockets full of lichens and seeds.

“Luke, I am your father.” THROUGH tone of voice

THROUGH symbols “ Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but... sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Harper Lee

THROUGH imagery Shakespeare uses imagery to depict a theme of madness throughout the play. Following the murder of Polonius, Gertrude describes Hamlet’s madness by... declaring Hamlet is as “mad as the sea and wind when both contend/ which is the mightier,” (Shakespeare, IV, i, 8-9).

“A novel's whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is when the writer finds out what a novel is about, and the job becomes one of understanding and deepening or sharpening what is already written. That is finding the theme. Diane Johnson

3 Importance of Theme Get the message across

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.

“I identified in a very deep way with the individuals I was writing about because the theme that runs through this story is of extraordinary hardship and the will to overcome it.” Laura Hillenbrand Connecting us to humanity

INPIRING society If it awakens in us as a whole how important that is - the theme of how conquest and ambition are meaningless without contribution - I think then as a society we're in better shape. I hope people are inspired to be the best. Rob Morrow

The whole theme of Interview with the Vampire was Louis's quest for meaning in a godless world. He searched to find the oldest existing immortal simply to ask, What is the meaning of what we are? Anne Rice It’s a word Not

So, what’s your theme? We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don't know where you're aiming, you don't have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, she cared. Mary Kay Ash

What’s Your Message? FOCUS ON FICTION