THEME

THEME: From your previous notes: Theme is the message about life that is shown by the plot.

Additional Notes: Theme is NOT the subject or topic of the book. Things that aren’t a theme: Love, fantasy, sports, friendship

Theme is NOT an event from the story. It will never use character names, places, etc

Theme IS the message the author gives the reader. It’s an opinion. Things that can be a theme: “Responsibility takes maturity,” or “Life can surprise you with good things during bad times.”

A story can have more than one theme. To prove a theme is true, you must support it with evidence. It’s okay for two people to disagree about the theme. Both can by right!

QUESTIONS TO ASK TO FIND A THEME Did my protagonist learn a lesson about life? That lesson might relate to the theme

Did my protagonist have to change himself to be successful? That change could represent the theme.

Is there a message, phrase, or idea that gets repeated often? That message may be a clue, or it may be the theme itself.

REMEMBER Don’t just pick an easy answer. A good theme comes from careful reading. Obvious themes, such as “Be kind to others” are usually too cliché (overused). You must be able to find multiple events in the book that prove the theme is true. The author writes so you can learn from the reading experience. The theme is the main thing the author wants you to learn.