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Literary ElementsHow long should your summary be? A general rule is to keep it to about one-fourth to one-thirdof the story's original length. So, if your original story is two pages long, a summary should beabout half a page. Now read this passage and study the summary of it that a student wrote.

Excerpt from "The Bohemian Girl"by Willa Cather

"Go wash your hands, Eric," called Mrs. Ericson. "I've got cob corn for supper, Nils.You used to like it. I guess you don't get much of that in the old country. Here's Hilda;she'11 take you up to your room. You'll want to get the dust off you before you eat."

Mrs. Ericson went into the dining-room to lay another plate, and the little girl came upand nodded to Nils as if to let him know that his room was ready. He put out his hand andshe took it, with a startled glance up at his face. Little Eric dropped his towel, threw an annabout Nils and one about Hilda, gave them a clumsy squeeze, and then stumbled out to theporch.

|i, During supper Nils heard exactly how much land each of his eight grown brothersg farmed, how their crops were coming on, and how much livestock they were feeding. Hisff mother watched him narrowly as she talked. "You've got better looking, Nils," sheil remarked abruptly, whereupon he grinned and the children giggled. Eric, although he was

fi eighteen and as tall as Nils, was always accounted a child, being the last of so many sons.E His face seemed childlike, too, Nils thought, and he had the open, wandering eyes of a littlei; boy. All the others had been men at his age.t: t;,'a:' ffiiai/,l.ffiA#j

Student's Summary

In this excerpt from "The Bohemian Girl" by Willa Cather, the narrator describes a dinner sceneu'ith the Ericson family. It appears that Nils has come home to visit, as evidenced by hismother's doting on him. While they eat, they recount the progress of the farm to Nils, as Ericsits by quietly. The passage describes Eric as childlike even though he is old enough to beconsidered a man.

-\s luou can see, this summary covers well the main points of the passage. It sticks to just what'sin the passage, and it tells everything you need to know to understand the plot.

TneueTheme is the underlying message of a written work that usually reflects a certain outlook oniife. The theme should not be confused with the central idea of a story which is basically what:ne story is about on a surface level. Themes are not directly stated. They are gradually impliedrr revealed throughout the story. Sometimes you have to make inferences based on what youirou,and have read in the story. (inferences will be covered in more depth in chapter 6.)

\\hen you are looking for a literary theme, you might consider how the main character changes:: u'hat is leamed in the course of the story. Here are some tips to finding the theme of a story.

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Chapter 2

How to Find the ThemeI Read the entire passage.2 Think about the deeper message it portrays.3 Try to sum up that message in one sentence.4 Make sure the message you choose fits the eilir"epassage, not just one part.

For example, think about the theme of this passage.

Dulce et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under rlJul;tu'o o""

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,Till on the haunting flares we turned our backsAnd towards our distant rest began to trudge.Men marched asleep. Many had lost their bootsBut limped on, blood_shod. All went lame; all blind;Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hootsOf tired, outstripped Five_Nines that dropped behind.;#;;

Y.,g.nntinethe clumsy helmets just in time;

ffiU* someone still was yelling out and srumbling,

ff And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . ."'

rO;n, through the misty panes and thick green light,

ffi As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

$ In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,

il He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.'ffi:t

^some smothering dreams you too could pace# Behind the wagon thar we flung him in.F

i; *O watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

#'His hanging face, like a devil,s sick of sin:X? If you could hear, at every jolt. the blood

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Come gargling from the froth-comrpted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate gloryThe old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est

Pro patria mori.**Translation: It is sweet and right to die for your country.

Which of the following statements is the best theme for the passage?

A Death should not be feared.

B The living and the dead form bonds of love.C Never speak badly about the dead.

D War is often wrongly idealized and glorified.

What is Owen trying to say in this poem? The language and details he uses in the poem provideus some clues. He describes the soldiers as weak and exhausted. They "trudge," "coughing likehags," "lame" and "blind." The soldiers who have lost their boots in the mud are "blood-shod"-that is, their feet are caked in blood. The imagery used to describe the poisoned man iseven grislier. Owen compares him to a man drowning: "guttering, choking, drowning." His"white eyes [are] writhing in his face," and blood comes "gargling from the froth-comrptedlungs."

After painting such a grotesque, horrific picture with these images, the speaker says that anyonewho had seen such a nightmare would not glorify war. Here we reach the theme of the passage.For centuries, people, especially young people, have held idealized visions of war, seeing it asa path to glory and adventure. Owen, an English poet who fought in World War I, says the Latinsaying is a lie used to deceive "children" who don't know the ugly reality of war.

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Chapter 2

RecunnENT THEMES rN LnenRruReSome situations or feelings are shared by all people no matter when and where they live.Literature often focuses on these recurrent themes of common human experience. Also calleduniversal themes, they deal with human experiences found in all eras and cultures.

Some of the most common recuffent themes include the following:

Recurrent Themes in LiteratureTheme WorkGood always wins over evil Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The Return of the King (Lord of the Ringstrilogy)

Power comrpts. Julius Caesar

The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Ringstrilogy)

War forces men to change. The Hunger Games

All Quiet on the Western Front

Nature works by its own set of laws. The Call of the WldJulie of the Wolves

Individuals must think for themselves. Anthem

1984

Coming of age is a difficult process. Jane Eyre

A Tree Grows in Brooklvn

Crime doesn't pay in the end. Crime and Punishment

"The Tell-Tale Heart"

Overcoming adversity Gone with the Wind

Angela's Ashes

Coming to terms with death The Book Thief

"Death Be Not Proud" (Donne)

Sacrifice is a part of love. Of Mice and Men

The Gospels

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Practice 2: Plot, Flashback, Foreshadowing, and ThemeRL 1,2,5, 10

Excerpt from "The Spectre Bridegroom"by Washington Irving

There was a great family gathering at the castle, on an affair of the utmost importance: itwas to receive the destined bridegroom of the baron's daughter. A negotiation had beencarried on between the father and an old nobleman of Bavaria, to unite the dignity of theirhouses by the marriage of their children. The preliminaries had been conducted withproperpunctilio. The young people were betrothed without seeing each other; and the timervas appointed for the marriage ceremony.

The castle was in a tumult of preparation to give him a suitable welcome. The fair bridehad been decked out with uncommon care. The two aunts had...quarreled the wholemorning about every article of her dress. The young lady had taken advantage of theircontest to follow the bent of her own taste; and fortunately it was a good one. She lookedas lovely as youthful bridegroom could desire; and the flutter of expectation heightenedthe lustre of her charms.

The baron was no less busied in preparations. He had, in truth, nothing exactly to do: buthe was naturally a fuming bustling little man, and could not remain passive when all theu'orld was in a hurry. He worried from top to bottom of the castle with an air of infiniteanxiety; he continually called the servants from their work to exhort them to be diligent;andbuzzed about every hall and chamber, as idly restless and importunate as a blue-bottletl1' on a warTn summer's day.

In the meantime the fatted calf had been killed; the forests had rung with the clamor of thehuntsmen; the kitchen was crowded with good cheer; the cellars had yielded up wholeoceans of Rhein-wein and Ferne-wein; and even the great Heidelberg tun had been laidunder contribution. Every thing was ready to receive the distinguished guest with Saus undBraus in the true spirit of German hospitality-but the guest delayed to make hisappearance. Hour rolled after hour. The sun, that had poured his downward rays upon the:rch forest of the Odenwald, now just gleamed along the summits of the mountains. Thebaron mounted the highest tower, and strained his eyes in hope of catching a distant sight..'f rhe count and his attendants. Once he thought he beheld them; the sound of horns cameloating from the valley, prolonged by the mountain echoes. A number of horsemen were

':en far below, slowly advancing along the road; but when they had nearly reached the foot; i rhe mountain, they suddenly struck off in a different direction. The last ray of sunshine::parted-the bats began to flit by in the twilight-the road grew dimmer and dimmer to

[ -:.: r ieu'; and nothing appeared stining in it but now and then a peasant lagging homeward

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Night closed in, but still no guest arrived. The baron descended from the tower in despair.The banquet, which had been delayed from hour to hour, could no longer be postponed.The meats were already overdone; the cook in an agony; and the whole household had thelook of a garrison that had been reduced by famine. The baron was obliged reluctantly togive orders for the feast without the presence of the guest. All were seated at table, and juston the point of commencing, when the sound of a h-orn from without the gate g*. noti..of the approach of a stranger. Another long blast filled the old courts of the castle with itsechoes, and was answered by the warder from the walls. The baron hastened to receive hisfuture son-in-law.

The drawbridge had been let down, and the stranger was before the gate. He was a tall,gallant cavalier, mounted on a black steed. His .*nt.nun.e was pale, but he hacl abeaming, romantic eye, and an air of stately melancholy. The baron was a little mortifiedthat he should have come in this simple, solitary style. ilis aignlty for a moment wasruffled, and he felt disposed to consider it a want of proper respect fbr the important.o:caslon? and the important family with which he was tl ue.onnected. He pacifiedhimself, however, with the conclusion, that it must have been youthful impatience whichhad induced him thus to spur on sooner than his attendants."I am sorry," said the stranger, "to break in upon you thus unseasonably-,,Here the baron intemrpted him with a world of compliments and greetings; for, to tell thetruth, he prided himself upon his courtesy and eloquence. The stranger attempted, once orlwice, to stem the tonent ofwords, but in vain, so he bowed his head and suffered it to flowH' , -^ -', w,-ar ov rrv vv vY vu ruJ ll\/(1(l drru SLIII9I-9U lt IO IlO\l'" on' By the time the baron had come to a pause, they had reached the inner court of the7'{; castle; and the stranger was again about to speak, when he was once more intemrpted by

*:n::rl?^rance.of the female iart of the ramity, leading forth the shrinking and blushing{'bride. He gazed on her for a moment as one entranced; it seemed as if his whole soulffi

beamed forth in the gaze,and rested upon that lovely form. one of the maiden aunts''t&,ylr|!::"0 something in her ear; she made an effort io speak; her moisr blue eye wasY6 tt\"ovv\wv Dw'rvLrlluB ur uvr sal; Sne ma0e an eIIOft tO Speak; hef mOiSt blUe eye WaS }jffitinidl>iraised; ga:e_l shy glance of inquiry on the stranger; and was cast aga; to ;; ffiffi

gt:u19. The words died away; but there was a sweet smile playing about her tipr,'^a u ffi'frn?on dimpling of the cheek that showed her glance had not been unsatisfactory. It was .W,

ffi imRossible for a girl of the fond age of eighieen, highly predisposed for love and #

ffi matlmony, nor to be pleased with so gallant u ruuiliri. Y#

Ta!:'l::ill]1i: rlvelv, the stranger guest maintained a most singutar and unseasonabte W

ffi gravtry' Hls countenance assumed a deeper cast of dejection as the evening advanced; and, #

ffi strange.as. it may appear, even the baron's jokes seemed only to render him the *orr*'-"' tr6.

; ,T-tll:l"lt*t]T-.t !e w.as lost in thoughi, and at times there was a pefturbed and restless $#wanderlngottheevethatheqnnkeer-nindhrrrilt oraaoa Lr;- ^^--.^--^^r^,-- ..1 .1 *Bi; :l:'::1"1|:t]*.t ne was lost tn thought, and at times there was a pefturbed and restless $iry wanderlng ot the eye that bespoke a mind but ill at ease. His conversations with the bnde $ffi

be.came more and more eamest and mysterious. Lowering clouds began to steal over the '#

ffi fair serenity of her brow, and tremors ,o -n through her iender frame. "' "'"

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All this could not escape the notice of the company. Their gayety was chilled by th-e

unaccountable gloom of th. bridtgroom; their spirits were infected; whispers and glances

were interchanged, accompanied by shrugs and dubious shakes of the head' The song and

the laugh gr.*1.r, and less frequent; there were dreary pauses in the conversation, which

*.r. uil.ngth succeeded by wild tales and supernatural legends. One dismal story

produced aiother still morcdismal, and the baron nearly frightened some of the ladies into

ilysterics with the history of the goblin horseman that carried away the fair Leonora'

What does the foreshadowing in this story suggest?

A The marriage ceremony will be completed on time'

B The bridegroom has something horrible to say'

C The bride is not attracted to her future husband'

D The baron wants to call the whole thing off'

Which of these could best be considered a subplot?

A The baron's efforts in running the banquet

B The killing of the fatted calfC The bridegroom's wandering eYe

D The negotiation with the old Bavarian nobleman

Since this passage is building up to the main action of this story which plot element

is most prominent?

If you read the entire story you would find out that the bridegroom is pretending to

be a ghost so he can "un..l ihe wedding, but he falls in love with the bride anyway'

How could the theme best be described?

A Ghosts are sometimes real.

B Love is not real.

C Parents just don't understand.

D Love conquers all'

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Chapter 2

5 Il at the end of the story the bride were remembering the honid events from he:wedding, what device would be used?A Flashback

B ForeshadowingC ResolutionD Subplot

6 Using your own paper, write a three- to four-sentence summary of this passage.

ActivityRL2

On your own paper, write the names of two movies, stories, books, or television sho\\.s i- r-share the same theme. Identify the theme, and explain how each work conveys that ther::

CnnnncrERtzATtoNcharacters are the people, animals, or things in a story. They can be old, young, male, fe:a,rT|o^| :l}::f: "l ul*o:l anvthing or anvone! The writer of a story gives every .hu*,*lcertain personaliry. Just as the main trait of a dog is its loyalty to its master, the tiaits of --:errocharacters make up their distinguishing personalities. They -ay be silly, serious, devoted. i-,nn,r

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Description An author can tell how characters look, Or.rr@as you might describe a friend of yours to someone. In Eudora wel:. .shoft story "A worn Path," the narrator begins by describing the ma:character, Phoenix Jackson, as an ord, rrnuil N.gio woman irersed .-plain but neat clothing.

Narration This is the telling of the story through u tp.uffiof the characters or could be an unknown observer. Tire speaker u.iil =-how other characters feel or think or will describe how they acr. InStephen crane's The Red Badge of Courage,there is anunknown nar-r.who is limited to telling the story through the eyes of a young sordi;:

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