A Complex Concept Simply DefinedBy Ms. Mandel

The central message or insight into life revealed or expressed through a literary work.

For example, the theme of a work on the subject of suffering might be…

“Suffering is in God’s plan and should therefore be accepted.”

For example, the theme of a work on the subject of money might be…

“Money is the great corruptor and makes all men behave despicably.”

For example, the theme of a work on the subject of maturity might be…

“We all have to grow up at some point, but it can be hard to act your age when life presents challenges.”

The subject of a work Usually stated directly. A reader who seeks a

directly stated theme, may miss the complexity of the author’s message.

A cliché that may also teach a moral such as “don’t judge a book by its cover” or “look before you leap”

A moral or a lesson for both those words connote that the theme is a helpful bit of advice or even a value that the reader can simply take away and apply to his or her life. Theme often doesn’t work that way.

Derived through the words and behaviors of characters or individuals in a work

Influenced by the direction of events and the responses of characters or individuals to the events or happenings

Developed using symbols, setting, plot, motifs even imagery

What a reader gains from reading about the events in an author’s or narrator’s world

The plot or detailed events of a narrative

A summary of the events of the author’s or narrator’s world

Black and white Expressed in a single, correct way

Major and Minor-complex works with multiple characters and plot lines can illustrate numerous themes

Expressed in a complete sentence

Exclusive to fiction; both fiction and nonfiction works express or imply themes

Expressed in a single word such as honesty, racism, open-mindedness. These may be concepts, subjects, images, symbols or even motifs that relate to the major or minor themes, but they do not express or imply a fully developed message

Of Mice and Men Everyone can feel loneliness regardless of

their status in life The Outsiders Growing up and losing important people is

a painful and universal experience The Giver Memory, both good and bad, is a crucial

aspect of human survival

What did we learn about the literary term theme?

Let’s examine thematic statements in To Kill a Mockingbird