Understanding Theme: How do I write a theme
statement?
What is theme?: The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its
teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction (a story or a poem) is its view about
life and how people behave. It’s the works central insight.
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.
The writer's task is to communicate on a common ground with the reader.
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.
Tried and Tested strategies for finding theme:
1. While reading a story or poem write down abstract nouns that apply to
the story. (Try to write a minimum of 5, preferably 10)
Abstract Nouns are nouns that you cannot detect with your five senses.
They often end in "ness." Eg. Loneliness, happiness, loyalty, envy,
aggressiveness, violence, conformity, pride.
2. When you have finished reading look at your list of nouns. These act as
signposts on your journey to the theme. After finishing the story, look
closely at the list you’ve compiled and reflect again on the story. Are there
words you would like to add? Are there words you would like to remove?
Try to narrow your words down to a top one, two or three.
****Make sure that you choose the nouns that you believe reveal most
comprehensively what the story or poem reveals about life.
3. Finally, take your abstract words and use them to create a comment
or observation that addresses one or more of the following:
1. human motivation/ambition- What is behind the behaviour and
decisions made in the story? What drives individuals and groups to
act in certain ways? Do their motives challenge the accepted morals of
the society represented in the story? If so, how and why?
OR
2. human condition- What is it like to be human in the story?
What are the social, psychological, or moral challenges faced by
characters? How do these challenges differ amongst characters? How
would you feel if you were immersed in the setting and circumstances
of the story?
OR
3.human dynamics- How do the most important relationships in the
story evolve? Do people change as a result of these actions. Is there
anything we learn about what it is to be human by studying the
interactions in the story? Are there inequities or injustices in the
story’s relationships. How are they resolved?
Eg. The theme of “A Clean Well Lighted Place” is that lonely people often need a place
of refuge from their awareness that their lives (or perhaps, human lives) are
essentially meaningless.
Eg. The theme of “Just Lather, That’s All” is that people who experience
life threatining events often redefine who they are as people and what
their place is in society.
Some additional rules for writing theme statements:
I. You must not use any characters names in your theme statement. The theme
always applies to life outside the story. BAD: The theme of “Just Lather, That’s All”
is that Captain Torres proves that you can be a good man even though you do bad
things.
II. Avoid retelling the plot in your theme statement.
III. Avoid using absolutes. Absolutes are terms like "all" "every" and "always."
Instead, use terms like "some" "sometimes" "may" or "often."
For example, imagine writing a theme statement like this: The theme of "E
Equals MC Squared" is that evil actions will always be punished. Is it true that
evil actions will always be punished?
IV. Avoid moralizing – theme is not moral (nobody should be should
upon)
V. Make sure that the title of the poem or short story is in your theme statement
and that the title is surrounded by quotation marks.
VI. Check to make sure your theme statement is not contradicted by any detail
of the story.
VII.
Avoid all clichés. “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is a cliché.
Avoid them at all costs.
More examples of a theme statements:
The Crucible
The theme of “The Crucible” is that hysteria often takes the place of logic and
causes people to behave in an irrational manner, believing things that under
normal conditions they would doubt.
The theme of “The Crucible” is that in an environment where reputation plays
such an important role, the fear of guilt by association becomes particularly
pernicious.
"The Most Dangerous Game"
The theme of "The Most Dangerous Game" is that men, when they are courageous
and lucky, even in a hostile environment, can overcome the odds against their
survival.
The theme of "The Most Dangerous Game" is that our reason, courage and
strength can reach their full potential when challenged by a hostile environment.
THEMATIC WORDS THAT MIGHT HELP YOU WRITE YOUR THEME STATEMENTS
Adaptability
Adventure
Ambition
Appearance vs. reality
Betrayal
Bureaucracy
Chance / fate / luck
Childhood
Children
Citizenship
Compassion
Confidence
Consideration
Courage
Cowardice
Cruelty / Violence
Curiosity
Custom / tradition
Death
Friendship
Defeat/failure
Despair / discontent /
disillusionment
Diligence
Domination / suppression
Dreams / fantasies
Duty
Education/school
Endurance
Equality
Escape
Exile
Faith / loss of faith
Falsity / pretense
Family / parenthood /
commitment
Fear
Free will/will power
freedom
Games/contests/sports
Gratitude
Greed
Growing up
Guilt
Hate
Heart vs. reason
Heaven/paradise/utopia
Home
Hope
Identity
Illusion/innocence
Independence
Initiation
Initiative
Instinct
Integrity
Journey (psychological or
literal)
Justice
Law
Loneliness
Love
Loyalty
Materialism
Maturity
Memory
Past
Mob psychology / hysteria
Music / dance
Nature
Patience
Patriotism
Peace
Persistence
Perseverance
Poverty
Prejudice
Pride
Privacy
Prophecy
Race relations
Reality
Religion
Repentance
Resistance
Rebellion
Respect
Responsibility
Revenge
Retribution
Ritual / Ceremony
Scapegoat
Victim
Search for identity
Self-actualization
Self-discipline
Self-improvement
Service
Social status
Success
Supernatural
Teamwork
Time
Eternity
Tricks
Truth
Unhappiness
War
Wealth
Women/Feminism
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