THEME
THEME
EXAMPLES OF THEME

The Great Journey
This follows a character or characters through a series of episodic adventures as they travel. It may
be a sad story or a happy story, or it may even be comedic. Huckleberry Finn, Heart of Darkness, The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and The Odyssey are good examples. In film, this theme can be
seen in Apocalypse Now and National Lampoon's Vacation.

Loss of Innocence
Sometimes called the "coming of age story," this most commonly introduces an “innocent” character
to the evil or complexity of the real/adult world. In literature, we might look at David Copperfied or
most of the Nick Adams stories by Ernest Hemingway, like "Indian Camp" and "The End of
Something." In film, we might look at Stand by Me.

Love and Friendship
Romeo and Juliet is a classic love story, as is the story of Lancelot and Guenivere. The films You’ve
Got Mail and Message in a Bottle are also love stories. The ending may be be happy, sad, or
bittersweet, but the main them is romantic love. Also included in this theme is platonic love-friendship--like in the movies Wrestling Ernest Hemingway and Midnight Cowboy. All Romance
novels, whether straight or gay, fit into this category. All “buddy films” like Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid and Thelma and Louise fit into this category.
SYMBOLISM

Symbolism in literature is very important in order
for you to fully understand the theme of the story

The first sign is that it is mentioned frequently in
the literature piece. If it is often mentioned then it
is probably very important.

The second sign is when an object is described
with so much detail.
EXAMPLES OF SYMBOLISM

The movie series Star Wars has been described as symbolic
of faith and religion in our world overcoming evil.

The Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling could be seen as
containing a lot of symbolism.

One clear example is a commonly used one; the use of a
snake to represent evil.

It is no coincidence that the symbol of Slytherin House is a
serpent.
FORESHADOWING

The technique of arranging events and information in a narrative in
such a way that later events are prepared for or shadowed forth
beforehand.

This literary device is used to build suspense and prepare the
reader's subconscious for the conflict.

It also helps the reader believe extraordinary events when they
happen.

It can be subtle, such as rain in the beginning of a story to suggest
something bad is going to happen, or more obvious, such as in the
prologue of "Romeo and Juliet": "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take
their life."
 Situational
When the results of a situation are far different
from what was expected, resulting in a feeling
of surprise and unfairness due to an odd
situation.
EXAMPLES OF IRONY
 Dramatic
Irony
Oedipus is a good example of dramatic irony, as
the audience knows that he is the one guilty of
the crime he seeks to punish.
EXAMPLES OF IRONY

Situational Irony
A man and woman are sitting at a bus stop and start to
converse. The woman divulges some of her deepest darkest
secrets. The man listens and advises her, and the woman
thanks him and gets on her bus. After she is gone the man
takes off his heavy coat to reveal that he is in fact wearing
the garb of a priest. The irony lies in the fact that the woman
never knew that the man she was talking to was a priest, but
the audience does and the reality of what the audience
knows about why the man was so helpful and understanding
is different from the reality the woman experienced.
SETTING

The time, place, physical details, and
circumstances in which a situation occurs.
Settings include the background, atmosphere
or environment in which characters live and
move
EXAMPLES OF SETTING
1930’s America, Soledad, California
 Rural
 Ranch

REFERENCES
http://www.learner.org/interactives/literature/r
ead/Studyguide.org
 www.3delta.edu
 "Use of Foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men."
123HelpMe.com. 14 Feb 2012
<http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=
16348>.
 http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/irony.html
