Understanding Literature

Question

How do I find the theme of a story?

Answer 1

A theme is a central topic, subject, or message in contemporary literary studies within a narrative. Themes can be divided into two categories: a work's thematic concept is what readers "think the work is about," and its thematic statement being "what the work says about the subject. "The most common contemporary understanding of theme is an idea or point that is central to a story, which can often be summed in a single word (for example, love, death, betrayal)." 

Work Cited: Wikipedia contributors. (2021, August 27). Theme (narrative). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:10, October 5, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theme_(narrative)&oldid=1040966326

Answer 2

Theme is so much fun to talk about! There are so many themes in literature such as love, forgiveness, and friendship. These are only a few examples and how to find the theme can be difficult for students. When I teach this, I always ask my students to think about what the author want to tell us, or what's the message to the reader. What does the author want us to know about life, happiness, love?

We need to look at the plot, characters and setting to determine the theme and it's so much fun to explore possible themes when we work together!