Literary Analysis Unit
Objectives
 I can identify a theme in a story.
 I understand how authors use different elements of their stories to convey themes.
 I can explain how different elements of the story help illuminate a theme.
Title
 The title is the reader’s very first impression of the story. It can often give clues to
the theme of the story! After reading, you should be able to judge why the author
chose this title and decide how it might be a clue to the theme.
 For example, The Fault in Our Stars is a title that makes reference to a line from
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar wherein Cassius tells Brutus that their problem is
not one of fate, but one of their position; he suggests they can control their fates
by killing Caesar for the good of Rome. John Green twists this around.

The theme is:
Setting
 Figure out both when and where the story takes place.
 Next, ask how this is significant. Perhaps the author is making a particular statement
about a certain time or place.
 For example, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird makes a statement about race
relations in the 1930s American south. This story could not exist in another time or
place.

The theme is:
Plot/Conflict
 The plot revolves around a major problem (the conflict). Start by asking yourself
what that conflict is.
In Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers want to be together, but their families will not
allow it because they are embroiled in a feud.

The plot reaches its high point when the conflict is at its most intense – the
problem could either be resolved in the character’s favor, or not. There is no
going back from this moment. This is called the climax.
When Romeo kills Tybalt, the plot has reached its climax. There is no going back.

Finally, there is a resolution. The problem has been solved, and things settle down
either back to the way things were, or under some kind of new order.
Romeo and Juliet both die and so the feud finally ends. Of course, this is not a
happy “problem solved!” moment, but it doesn’t have to be happy!

The theme is:
Characters
 Authors use characters to send their messages (called themes). Readers should
think about what the main characters learns and/or what he or she does, says, and
thinks.
 In Lord of the Flies, Jack learns something; also, the characters’ actions
demonstrate this something (through they did to Piggy).

The theme is:
Literary Devices
Literary devices help convey meaning! We will think about symbols and foils in this unit.

Symbolism. The use of an object to mean something more than its literal
meaning.
o In Tuesdays with Morrie, the plant on the windowsill goes from healthy to
withered, just like Morrie, so it symbolizes Morrie himself.
o The theme is:

Foil. A character used to contrast a second, usually more prominent character in
order to highlight certain qualities of the more prominent character.
o In Harry Potter, both Draco Malfoy and Voldemort are foils for Harry. They
are cruel and selfish while Harry is kind and self-less.
o The theme is:
Important Lines


Authors often state the theme explicitly or implicitly in their texts, either through
the narration or through something a character says.
In Titanic, after Rose lets go of Jack’s hands, she says, “I’ll never let go.”

The theme is:
Themes
 A theme is a message an author is sending through his or her work.
 Themes stem from important subjects like good vs. evil, human nature, religion,
social structure, authority, coming-of-age, human rights, gender, racism, war,
education, sex, friendship, love, compassion, and death.
 A theme must be stated as a complete idea!

Name a theme from Tuesdays with Morrie:
“Young Goodman Brown”
What might the title suggest?
How is the setting significant?
How do the conflict, climax, and resolution express a theme?
How does what a character learns or what he/she thinks, says, or does express a theme?
Does symbolism or the use of a foil help express a theme?
Are there any important lines in the text that help readers identify a theme?
“The Minister’s Black Veil”
What might the title suggest?
How is the setting significant?
How do the conflict, climax, and resolution express a theme?
How does what a character learns or what he/she thinks, says, or does express a theme?
Does symbolism or the use of a foil help express a theme?
Are there any important lines in the text that help readers identify a theme?
“The Chrysanthemums”
What might the title suggest?
How is the setting significant?
How do the conflict, climax, and resolution express a theme?
How does what a character learns or what he/she thinks, says, or does express a theme?
Does symbolism or the use of a foil help express a theme?
Are there any important lines in the text that help readers identify a theme?
“The Harness”
What might the title suggest?
How is the setting significant?
How do the conflict, climax, and resolution express a theme?
How does what a character learns or what he/she thinks, says, or does express a theme?
Does symbolism or the use of a foil help express a theme?
Are there any important lines in the text that help readers identify a theme?
“The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”
What might the title suggest?
How is the setting significant?
How do the conflict, climax, and resolution express a theme?
How does what a character learns or what he/she thinks, says, or does express a theme?
Does symbolism or the use of a foil help express a theme?
Are there any important lines in the text that help readers identify a theme?
Literary Analysis
To conduct a “literary analysis,” you will have to form judgments and opinions about the
work. To form these judgments and opinions and then use them to comment on a work is
called “criticism.”
To analyze means both “to examine in great detail” and “to break something down into
its component parts.” In order to do this, you must consider some or all of the elements of
the story: title, setting, characters, plot, literary devices, and important lines.
A literary analysis is not a summary or a review; it is your interpretation of the work. You
must construct an argument that supports your way of viewing the work. You will be
saying that the work suggests a certain message, and you will then show how it suggests
this message.
You are discussing two major elements in a literary analysis; first, what the work means
(a major theme – the message the work sends), and second, how the work evokes this
meaning.
Using Your Notes
After completing your Analysis Worksheets, think about what you can say about these
stories. You want to make a specific and arguable claim about one of these texts.
To create a thesis, identify a theme, and then think about how the text manages to get that
theme across (through plot, characters, literary devices, etc.).
Example Thesis: In The Awakening, Chopin shows that women should be free to follow
their own hearts, rather than be forced to play the role of a perfect wife and mother. She
achieves this through her use of foils, her depiction of childbirth, and her portrayal of
Edna’s final realization.
Remember that a thesis for a literary analysis should NOT merely:
 Summarize the plot (“The Awakening tells the story of an unhappy housewife
named Edna.”)
 Announce a general subject (“The Awakening demonstrates important ideas about
gender.”)
 Offer a review of the book (“The Awakening does a great job of showing what it
used to be like to be a woman.”)
Essay Brainstorming and Evidence-Gathering
Story title and author:
Theme to be discussed:
Ways the text develops this theme:
1.
2.
3.
Evidence
Claim One
Claim Two
Claim Three
Essay Outline
Hook:
Thesis:
Body Paragraph 1:
Body Paragraph 2:
Body Paragraph 3:
Re-cap:
Broaden out: