Theme Hunting
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 gives the reader his or her first impression of the story. It can often give
clues to the theme. After reading, you should be able to judge why the author
chose this title; next, decide whether 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 uses the line out of context.

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 what 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. This symbol also
suggests a larger theme.
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. These foils help bring
out a larger theme.
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 The Odyssey:
“The Old Man at the Bridge”
by Ernest Hemingway
An old man with steel-rimmed spectacles and very dusty clothes sat by the side of the road.
There was a pontoon bridge across the river and carts, trucks, and men, women and children were
crossing it. The mule-drawn carts staggered up the steep bank from the bridge with soldiers
helping push against the spokes of the wheels. The trucks ground up and away heading out of it
all and the peasants plodded along in the ankle deep dust. But the old man sat there without
moving. He was too tired to go any farther.
It was my business to cross the bridge, explore the bridgehead beyond and find out to what
point the enemy had advanced. I did this and returned over the bridge. There were not so many
carts now and very few people on foot, but the old man was still there.
"Where do you come from?" I asked him.
"From San Carlos," he said, and smiled.
That was his native town and so it gave him pleasure to mention it and he smiled.
"I was taking care of animals," he explained.
"Oh," I said, not quite understanding.
"Yes," he said, "I stayed, you see, taking care of animals. I was the last one to leave the town
of San Carlos."
He did not look like a shepherd nor a herdsman and I looked at his black dusty clothes and his
gray dusty face and his steel-rimmed spectacles and said, "What animals were they?"
"Various animals," he said, and shook his head. "I had to leave them."
I was watching the bridge and the African-looking country of the Ebro Delta and wondering
how long now it would be before we would see the enemy, and listening all the while for the first
noises that would signal that ever mysterious event called contact, and the old man still sat there.
"What animals were they?" I asked.
"There were three animals altogether," he explained. "There were two goats and a cat and
then there were four pairs of pigeons."
“And you had to leave them?" I asked.
"Yes. Because of the artillery. The captain told me to go because of the artillery."
"And you have no family?" I asked, watching the far end of the bridge where a few last carts
were hurrying down the slope of the bank.
"No," he said, "only the animals I stated. The cat, of course, will be all right. A cat can look
out for itself, but I cannot think what will become of the others."
"What politics have you?" I asked.
"I am without politics," he said. "I am seventy-six years old. I have come twelve kilometers
now and I think now I can go no further."
"This is not a good place to stop," I said. "If you can make it, there are trucks up the road
where it forks for Tortosa."
"I will wait a while," he said, "and then I will go. Where do the trucks go?"
"Towards Barcelona," I told him.
"I know no one in that direction," he said, "but thank you very much. Thank you again very
much."
He looked at me very blankly and tiredly, and then said, having to share his worry with
someone, "The cat will be all right, I am sure. There is no need to be unquiet about the cat. But
the others. Now what do you think about the others?"
"Why they'll probably come through it all right."
"You think so?"
"Why not," I said, watching the far bank where now there were no carts.
"But what will they do under the artillery when I was told to leave because of the artillery?"
"Did you leave the dove cage unlocked?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Then they'll fly."
"Yes, certainly they'll fly. But the others. It's better not to think about the others," he said.
"If you are rested I would go," I urged. "Get up and try to walk now."
"Thank you," he said and got to his feet, swayed from side to side and then sat down
backwards in the dust.
"I was taking care of animals," he said dully, but no longer to me. "I was only taking care of
animals."
There was nothing to do about him. It was Easter Sunday and the Fascists were advancing
toward the Ebro. It was a gray overcast day with a low ceiling so their planes were not up. That
and the fact that cats know how to look after themselves was all the good luck that old man would
ever have.
Theme Hunting Questions
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?
“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: