Theme Analysis, Only for Quality!

Theme in Fiction What is theme?

● Theme is always a complete sentence. ● Theme is an arguable claim made by a story. ● Theme is the point the story is trying to make. ● Theme connects fiction to our lived human experiences. ● Theme is a big idea, a universal statement, an argument or claim about one of life’s big

ideas.

What isn’t theme? ● Theme can never be one word: love, friendship, dogs, or tacos are big ideas, but they’re

not claims. ● Theme can never be summary: what happens in the story reveals the meaning, but the

theme is universal and can be applied to your life and mine. ● Theme is not an easy lesson: “listen to your parents,” or “be nice to people” are good

ideas, but they aren’t complex enough to drive literature.

What are some examples of theme? ● Painful experiences can make a person stronger. ● The past will always impact the present and future. ● Some family bonds are not worth fighting for. ● Love requires sacrifice. ● Adulthood is a rewarding burden. ● Independence requires responsibility. ● Hope is powerful, but also dangerous.

Things to remember when you write about theme: ● Why​ is more important than ​what​. Identifying a symbol is only important if you also

explain what it means and how it relates to the theme. ● Think about what the story seems to value and promote? What gets rewarded? What is

learned? ● Explain and analyze how a theme is shown, what in the story reveals the theme or

relates to it.