2. What Is Theme?
Theme is the insight about human life that is revealed in
a literary work.
•Theme gives meaning to the work by connecting the
action in the story to our understanding of human
nature.
•Sometimes a work has several themes.
4. Theme vs. Subject
•The subject is what the story is about.
•The subject of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is
daydreaming.
•The theme states what the subject means.
•The theme of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is that
people need to feel important and appreciated. If they
don’t feel important in their real lives, they may escape
into dream worlds where they can be heroic and admired.
5. Where Is the Theme?
•A story’s theme is usually not stated directly.
•All of the elements of the story—plot events,
characters, setting, and dialogue—make up the theme.
Story Elements:
•Ann and her son Max find a box of old-fashioned jewelry, faded pictures,
and old letters in the attic of their new home.
•Max wants to sell the jewelry and use the money to buy a new bike. Ann
insists that they track down the owner and return the box to her.
•The owner, now eighty-five years old, becomes emotional when she
sees the box. She thanks them for bringing back wonderful memories.
•Max tells his mom that he’s glad that they didn’t sell the jewelry.
Theme:
•An object’s sentimental value can be far greater than its monetary value.
6. Stating a Story’s Theme
General guidelines for stating a story’s theme:
Step 1: Pay attention to the title, the main character’s
actions, and the conflict. Ask yourself
•Does the title hint at the theme?
•How does the main character change during the story?
•What does he or she learn about life as a result of the
story’s events?
•How is the conflict resolved?
7. Stating a Story’s Theme
General guidelines for stating a story’s theme:
•Incorrect: “friendship”
•Correct: “Friendship has to be nurtured and maintained.
If people neglect their friends, they will probably lose
them.”
Step 2: Use at least one complete sentence to state the
theme.
8. Stating a Story’s Theme
General guidelines for stating a story’s theme:
•Incorrect: “Paul’s obsession with winning the game
made him ignore his team members’ suggestions and
play unfairly.”
•Correct: “When people get obsessed with winning, they
sometimes forget the importance of teamwork and
sportsmanship.”
Step 3: Express the theme as a generalization about
life or human nature. Do not refer to specific
characters or events in the work.
9. Stating a Story’s Theme
General guidelines for stating a story’s theme:
•Different people may interpret a story differently.
•You may even find several themes in one story.
Step 4: Remember that there’s more than one way to
state a story’s theme.
10. Decide whether each statement is true or false.
______— The subject of a story and the theme of a story are
the same thing.
______— The title may hint at a story’s theme.
______— Works of literature always have only one theme.
______— The theme is usually stated directly.
______— Themes should be expressed as generalizations
about life or human nature.
What Have You Learned?
True
False
False
False
True
