Determining Themes in Fiction

Determining Themes in Fiction §  In fiction, THEMES are lessons, morals, messages, or

insights (what we wisely understand in our minds) about life.

§  Theme: a central message about life. When you read fiction, remember that the subject/topic and theme are NOT the same thing:

§  The subject/topic is what the story is about. §  The theme is the lesson, moral, message, or insight about the subject.

§  Examples: §  Story Subject: Power §  Story Theme: With great power comes great responsibility. §  Story Subject: Promises §  Story Theme: Do no promise what you cannot deliver. §  Story Subject: Honesty §  Story Theme: It is better to tell the truth than to lie. §  *APPLY: Please create and give me a Story Subject and related Story

Theme.

§  Possible Subject and Theme Relationship: Story Subject: Success Story Theme: True success brings joy.

Stated and Implied Themes § Sometimes the author directly states the theme of a work, such

as at the end of a child’s fairy tale. More often, though, the theme is implied, or suggested, through the words and experiences of the characters or through the events of the story.

§ When the theme of a story is implied, or unstated (NOT stated

directly), which is almost in every story, different people may interpret, or understand, the theme in different ways. Consider, for example, the story of “North Wind and South Wind.”

§ Example: North Wind and South Wind competed to see who

was strong enough to make a traveler remove his cloak. North Wind blew cold, harsh gusts that made the traveler pull his cloak tighter about him. Then, South Wind blew warm, soft breezes. The traveler felt so hot that he removed his cloak.

§ APPLY: What are possible themes you can come up with? Make

sure you can back them up with text support evidence, though.

Stated and Implied Themes continued. . . § Example: North Wind and South Wind competed to see who

was strong enough to make a traveler remove his cloak. North Wind blew cold, harsh gusts that made the traveler pull his cloak tighter about him. Then, South Wind blew warm, soft breezes. The traveler felt so hot that he removed his cloak.

§ Possible Themes: §  Great force does not guarantee success. §  Gentleness can succeed where force fails.

§ APPLY: Which details or events in the story support each possible theme?

§ Notice that both statements of theme are based on events in the

story. The best, strongest interpretations of theme are based on key details and events.

Universal Themes §  The story of North Wind and South Wind has a universal theme – a

message about life that is expressed in many different cultures and time periods. These themes relate to experiences that are common to many people. Look for universal themes when you read fiction, but remember that not all themes are universal.

§  Think of universal themes this way – themes become universal when

they recur (return/repeat) in literature from many different cultures. Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, and Fables often have universal themes.

§  APPLY: What are some universal themes you have encountered in your

reading?

§  Possible Universal Themes: Love conquers all; Pride can lead to a downfall (failure); Goodness is eventually rewarded

Wait a minute. . . §  What are Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, and Fables again (the ones that

have universal themes)?

§  Folk Tale: short stories with exaggerated characters and obstacles, and that have been passed down over generations (one generation to another) by “FOLK,” or word of mouth. The characters are usually all good or all bad and earn their final punishment or reward

§  Examples: Babe and the Blue Ox, Brer Rabbit, Davy Crockett

§  Fairy Tale: folktale that has MAGICAL elements, forces, and beings, and includes unlikely or impossible events that typically lead to a happy ending

§  Examples: Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood

§  Fable: brief stories that teach a STRONG, DIRECT MORAL or LESSON about life at the end using ANIMAL characters acting like humans

§  Examples: Tortoise and the Hare, Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Lion and the Mouse, The Goose and the Golden Egg

1 of 4 §  QUESTION: What is Plot?

§  The series of events in the story. §  QUESTION: What is Conflict?

§  The struggle or problem between opposing forces (going against each other). It moves the plot forward.

§  -Always think about the reasons for the conflict §  -Notice how characters respond to the conflict §  -Determine whether the characters are able to resolve, or end,

the conflict §  -Identify any lessons, or themes, the characters learn from the

conflict. §  APPLY: How might Plot and Conflict contribute, or add, to the

development of a story’s theme? §  Example: If a story’s central conflict is between a teenage girl and her

mother, that conflict might contribute, or add, to a theme of growing up or about family relationships.

2 of 4 § 2 of 4 - QUESTION: What is Setting?

§  The time and place of the story. In some stories, it is just a background. In others, setting is an important clue to the theme of the story. §  -Always identify the time and place in which the story’s action occurs §  -Ask yourself whether the setting is important to the characters and

events in the story, and how they are important §  -Find details that help you picture, or visualize, the setting

§ APPLY: How might Setting contribute, or add, to the

development of a story’s theme?

3 of 4 § QUESTION: What are Characters?

§  The people or animals in a story. §  -Always look at words that describe the characters. Think about

what the characters think, say, and do §  -Notice whether the characters change as a result of their

experiences, which will help you determine (or find out) the theme, also

§  -Ask yourself whether the characters learn from their experiences or from the experiences of others

§ APPLY: How might Characters contribute, or add, to the development of a story’s theme?

4 of 4 § QUESTION: What is Description?

§  This relates to sensory details (the 5 senses), telling what something looks like, sounds like, feels like, and so on.

§ QUESTION: What are Symbols? §  Anything that represents something else. It is kind of like a BIG

Metaphor (comparing one thing to something else without using “like” or “as”). For example, a red rose often represents, or symbolizes… love. Think “Beauty and the Beast”!! §  -Always notice descriptions that are especially vivid, or colorful and

brought to life on the page through strong details §  -Notice descriptions that are repeated throughout the story §  -Determine whether certain objects, people, or places have a meaning

to the narrator or a character

Let’s put it all together. . . §  Theme: Ordinary people can perform heroic deeds or actions.

§  APPLY: In your group, on a loose leaf sheet of paper, please brainstorm a possible plot/conflict, setting, characters, description focus, and symbol that might help develop this particular theme mentioned ABOVE.

§  Example: Conflict and Plot: A pioneer family needs water. The father is away looking for work, and so the daughter must find water.

§  Setting: A homestead piece of land in Kansas, ten miles from the nearest town, during a summertime drought (time of severe dryness)

§  Characters: A mother, an infant son, and a 12-year-old daughter §  Description focus: Descriptions that convey, or express, extreme heat and thirst §  Symbol: A photo of the girl’s father , representing, or symbolizing strength

§  *Remember - Try to think about developing a particular theme in a backwards way: -focusing on an ordinary person (or people) (CHARACTERS), -putting them into an unlikely situation (CONFLICT) involving a unique place and/or time in which they can be heroic (SETTING), and then… -finish off with what you want to focus on describing (DESCRIPTION), and what something (an item or something small representing something bigger) could symbolize (SYMBOL), such as strength or heroism