Theme is a universal truth explored in an artwork.
Themes are very important for art, as they make a connection to the reader. Since themes are universal, they can reach anyone and draw them in. Themes also link stories together, with two similar stories usually having the same theme. There are three rules to defining a theme:
THEMES ARE UNIVERSAL: Themes transcend the individual story, so they should not have the names of specific characters, settings, or events. A good theme can be taken from a work and applied to a similar work seamlessly.
THEMES ARE SUBJECTIVE: Two different readers can watch, hear, or read the same text and come away with two different themes. That's okay: themes are subjective, the background of one reader will cause them to see something in a text that another reader may not. Readers often find themes in a story that were never deliberately intended by the author. Stories can have more than one theme and even conflicting themes. So how do you know your theme is really a theme? You need textual evidence that the theme applies to the characters and conflicts throughout the story.
THEMES ARE A STATEMENT: Themes are statements about life and the world, so they should be expressed as statements. THEMES ARE NOT ONE WORD. Love, hate, racism, family, death, friendship, war, freedom, change: none of these are themes. They are topics. A theme takes the topic and considers what the story says about it. If the topic is love, think about what the author does with love: is the story about love conquering all in spite of difficulty? Love as a prison? Perfect love as an impossible goal? Those are themes.
THEMES ARE SUBJECTIVE: Two different readers can watch, hear, or read the same text and come away with two different themes. That's okay: themes are subjective, the background of one reader will cause them to see something in a text that another reader may not. Readers often find themes in a story that were never deliberately intended by the author. Stories can have more than one theme and even conflicting themes. So how do you know your theme is really a theme? You need textual evidence that the theme applies to the characters and conflicts throughout the story.
THEMES ARE A STATEMENT: Themes are statements about life and the world, so they should be expressed as statements. THEMES ARE NOT ONE WORD. Love, hate, racism, family, death, friendship, war, freedom, change: none of these are themes. They are topics. A theme takes the topic and considers what the story says about it. If the topic is love, think about what the author does with love: is the story about love conquering all in spite of difficulty? Love as a prison? Perfect love as an impossible goal? Those are themes.
How to find a theme
|
In all my time teaching, I have found no resource that addresses how to find the theme that is better than this video by filmmaker and film teacher Darious Britt. If you are unable to watch the video, here are his three ways to find a theme:
1. LOOK AT THE PROTAGONIST'S JOURNEY Since the protagonist is central to a story and a theme is central to a story, it's a no-brainer that the theme involves the protagonist. What does a protagonist learn in a story? What gives them strength? For example, in Cannery Row, Mack and the boys learn that working as part of a community brings success. When they try to give Doc a party the first time, they raise the money through trickery and make the party about themselves, ending in a terrible night for all. Learning from their failure, the boys earn the money for Doc's second party legitimately and invite the larger community to contribute to the party, which shifts the focus from them to Doc. |
2. LOOK AT THE CENTRAL CONFLICT
Also central to a story is conflict, and theme loves to dwell there. As characters need to triumph, the theme is often what they learn in order to win. For example, the conflicts of The Odyssey are Odysseus trying to get home against varied antagonists, Penelope is trying to delay her remarriage against her impatient suitors, and Telemachus wanting to purge his kingdom of the suitors against the suitors wanting to get rid of him. Throughout the story, the only motivation that keeps these characters going is faith that Odysseus will return and a refusal to betray family. Since all the characters succeed, a theme of the story is loyalty to family is always rewarded by the gods.
3. LOOK AT WHAT CHARACTERS SAY
Characters sometimes just outright say the theme of the story, making analysis easy. Fairy tales and fables neatly say the moral of the story at the very end. Similarly, the last lines of The Great Gatsby are:
"And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. [...] Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter: tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning--"
Here, Nick's narration reveals a theme: Despite the cynicism of the world, dreamers should never give up hope.
Also central to a story is conflict, and theme loves to dwell there. As characters need to triumph, the theme is often what they learn in order to win. For example, the conflicts of The Odyssey are Odysseus trying to get home against varied antagonists, Penelope is trying to delay her remarriage against her impatient suitors, and Telemachus wanting to purge his kingdom of the suitors against the suitors wanting to get rid of him. Throughout the story, the only motivation that keeps these characters going is faith that Odysseus will return and a refusal to betray family. Since all the characters succeed, a theme of the story is loyalty to family is always rewarded by the gods.
3. LOOK AT WHAT CHARACTERS SAY
Characters sometimes just outright say the theme of the story, making analysis easy. Fairy tales and fables neatly say the moral of the story at the very end. Similarly, the last lines of The Great Gatsby are:
"And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. [...] Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter: tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning--"
Here, Nick's narration reveals a theme: Despite the cynicism of the world, dreamers should never give up hope.
Some of the most common themes
True faith will always be rewarded over doubt.
Reasonable doubt brings more justice than blind faith.
No matter how a character struggles, one cannot escape fate.
There is no solace in growing old.
Legacy is the only thing that lasts past death.
Growing up is never easy, but it makes one stronger.
Growing up means innocence must be sacrificed.
There are hazards of passing judgment (be specific).
Family (or friendship) means more than immediate desires.
Family can be the greatest enemy of all.
With the support of family (or friends), anything is possible.
Death is always inevitable when...
Outer strength is no match for inner strength.
Loneliness is more destructive than any army.
Love is always able to endure over...
Love cannot last when...
Hard work can always overcome...
Man cannot tame the forces of nature.
Man can never truly tame his inner nature.
Society can never chain the power of the people.
The honest man is no match for the corrupt society (or tradition).
Redemption can come at any time.
Tradition is a shackle that should be broken.
Nothing is more important for success than self-reliance.
Heroes will always become villains with time.
Power cannot be destroyed, only transferred to a new master.
Identity is discovered, not innate.
Reasonable doubt brings more justice than blind faith.
No matter how a character struggles, one cannot escape fate.
There is no solace in growing old.
Legacy is the only thing that lasts past death.
Growing up is never easy, but it makes one stronger.
Growing up means innocence must be sacrificed.
There are hazards of passing judgment (be specific).
Family (or friendship) means more than immediate desires.
Family can be the greatest enemy of all.
With the support of family (or friends), anything is possible.
Death is always inevitable when...
Outer strength is no match for inner strength.
Loneliness is more destructive than any army.
Love is always able to endure over...
Love cannot last when...
Hard work can always overcome...
Man cannot tame the forces of nature.
Man can never truly tame his inner nature.
Society can never chain the power of the people.
The honest man is no match for the corrupt society (or tradition).
Redemption can come at any time.
Tradition is a shackle that should be broken.
Nothing is more important for success than self-reliance.
Heroes will always become villains with time.
Power cannot be destroyed, only transferred to a new master.
Identity is discovered, not innate.
Motifs, epigraphs, and symbols: Breadcrumbs to a theme
Themes carry through the entirety of a text and culminate at the end. Authors need to build to a theme before the end and do so using five strategies: conflict, character, motif, epigraph, and symbolism. Conflicts and character have been discussed already, so let's look at motif, epigraph, and symbol:
Motifs are reoccurring patterns or images that tie into a theme. For example, a theme of Romeo and Juliet is that secrets that should not be kept will always bring harm when brought to light. A motif that ties into this theme is the use of the dawn in the play. Romeo and Friar Lawrence arrange Romeo's secret wedding to Juliet at dawn, Romeo is caught in bed with Juliet by the nurse at dawn, Juliet drinks the faux poison right before dawn, and the entire marriage and lies are exposed at the fourth dawn. Dawn is literally when secrets are brought to light, as truth dawns on certain characters and their harmful consequences are exposed. Motifs do not have to be literal either. A theme of Pride and Prejudice is that finding love is an earned process that must endure trial. A motif that ties into this is courtship, which is simply a formal method of dating. Almost every unmarried character goes through a failed courtship before a successful courtship. For Bingley/Jane, they failed at an initial courtship but then reunited. For Elizabeth/Darcy, Darcy's attempts at courtship are denied until love is felt. For all the other courtships, like those of Georgette, Collins, and Charlotte, the person in question endures a courtship with the wrong person before finding the right person. The one couple that avoids courtship altogether, Wickham/Lydia, ends in a social disaster and heartbreak.
Epigraphs are quotations, either real or imagined, that start a story and tie into a theme. For example, the epigraph for Frankenstein is from Paradise Lost: "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mould me? Man, did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?" This ties into the theme that creators must consider the ramifications of their creations, as both Satan in Paradise Lost and Adam in Frankenstein rebel against their makers (this epigraph also ties to Frankenstein's motif of religion). Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater begins with a fictional quote by the titular character Eliot Rosewater: "The Second World War was over--and there I was at high noon, crossing Times Square with a Purple Heart on." This establishes that Eliot Rosewater was very impacted by the war, that he is brave and independent, and that he has a sense of humor (the sentence is a double entendre). Books sometimes have multiple epigraphs--Ender's Game starts every chapter with an epigraph. Epigraphs aren't just used by narrative texts: the film Do the Right Thing ends with an epigraph of two quotations, one by Malcolm X and one by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which underscore the film's exploration on whether racial inequality should be met with peaceful dialogue or violent force.
Symbols are singular objects in a story that tie into the theme. For example, a theme of "The Kid Nobody Could Handle" is that every person has a way to contribute their creativity to society. A symbol that supports this theme is Helmholtz's trumpet, which Jim plays at the end in an effort to be a "good boy." Another symbol supports the theme by working against it: Jim's leather boots are a symbol of isolation from both creativity and society, as the boots allow Jim to scare off others and destroy objects, and the boots have to be removed for Jim to stop acting badly. Keep in mind the difference between symbols and motifs: candles could be a motif if different candles appear at significant times or used in a significant way, yet a single candle that appears in several scenes and has significance is a symbol. Symbols are also not archetypes: if the object represents a universal idea (like dogs as loyalty or swords as strength), the object is an archetype, whereas a symbol represents an idea specific only to the story (like a dog as loneliness or a sword as marriage).
Motifs are reoccurring patterns or images that tie into a theme. For example, a theme of Romeo and Juliet is that secrets that should not be kept will always bring harm when brought to light. A motif that ties into this theme is the use of the dawn in the play. Romeo and Friar Lawrence arrange Romeo's secret wedding to Juliet at dawn, Romeo is caught in bed with Juliet by the nurse at dawn, Juliet drinks the faux poison right before dawn, and the entire marriage and lies are exposed at the fourth dawn. Dawn is literally when secrets are brought to light, as truth dawns on certain characters and their harmful consequences are exposed. Motifs do not have to be literal either. A theme of Pride and Prejudice is that finding love is an earned process that must endure trial. A motif that ties into this is courtship, which is simply a formal method of dating. Almost every unmarried character goes through a failed courtship before a successful courtship. For Bingley/Jane, they failed at an initial courtship but then reunited. For Elizabeth/Darcy, Darcy's attempts at courtship are denied until love is felt. For all the other courtships, like those of Georgette, Collins, and Charlotte, the person in question endures a courtship with the wrong person before finding the right person. The one couple that avoids courtship altogether, Wickham/Lydia, ends in a social disaster and heartbreak.
Epigraphs are quotations, either real or imagined, that start a story and tie into a theme. For example, the epigraph for Frankenstein is from Paradise Lost: "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mould me? Man, did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?" This ties into the theme that creators must consider the ramifications of their creations, as both Satan in Paradise Lost and Adam in Frankenstein rebel against their makers (this epigraph also ties to Frankenstein's motif of religion). Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater begins with a fictional quote by the titular character Eliot Rosewater: "The Second World War was over--and there I was at high noon, crossing Times Square with a Purple Heart on." This establishes that Eliot Rosewater was very impacted by the war, that he is brave and independent, and that he has a sense of humor (the sentence is a double entendre). Books sometimes have multiple epigraphs--Ender's Game starts every chapter with an epigraph. Epigraphs aren't just used by narrative texts: the film Do the Right Thing ends with an epigraph of two quotations, one by Malcolm X and one by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which underscore the film's exploration on whether racial inequality should be met with peaceful dialogue or violent force.
Symbols are singular objects in a story that tie into the theme. For example, a theme of "The Kid Nobody Could Handle" is that every person has a way to contribute their creativity to society. A symbol that supports this theme is Helmholtz's trumpet, which Jim plays at the end in an effort to be a "good boy." Another symbol supports the theme by working against it: Jim's leather boots are a symbol of isolation from both creativity and society, as the boots allow Jim to scare off others and destroy objects, and the boots have to be removed for Jim to stop acting badly. Keep in mind the difference between symbols and motifs: candles could be a motif if different candles appear at significant times or used in a significant way, yet a single candle that appears in several scenes and has significance is a symbol. Symbols are also not archetypes: if the object represents a universal idea (like dogs as loyalty or swords as strength), the object is an archetype, whereas a symbol represents an idea specific only to the story (like a dog as loneliness or a sword as marriage).
Practical question: Do authors really put all this stuff in their writing?
This is the question on most students' minds when they start looking for symbolism. Do the blue curtains represent the main character's underlying depression and unwillingness to go on? Or are the curtains just blue?
This is a fair question--one most famously asked by sixteen-year-old future author Bruce McAllister. When his English teacher asked him to write a symbolism essay of The Scarlet Letter in 1963, he sent a survey asking over 150 different authors about intentional symbolism in their writing... and got many different answers. Both science fiction writers Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury said that they never intentionally added symbols to their works but that symbolism resulted from their subconscious intentions. Catch 22 author Joseph Heller claimed the opposite--he intentionally placed symbols in his work without subconscious motivations. Beat poet Jack Kerouac simply wrote "No."
So after reviewing the 60+ responses he got back, what did McAllister conclude? That the author doesn't matter. Notice that this article is in the analysis section-- theme and symbolism analysis are a function of the reader's interpretation, not the writer's intentions. This makes logical sense: if readers find meaning in part of the text, whether or not the author intended the meaning is superfluous. Conversely, even if an author carefully crafts an intentional symbol, it doesn't matter if the reader misses the point. Most of McAllister's author responses expressed this point. Saul Bellow told McAllister that “a symbol grows in its own way, out of the facts.” Ralph Ellison claimed that "symbolism arises out of action" not intention, and Norman Mailer said, "generally, the best symbols in a novel are those you become aware of only after you finish the work." Most of the authors even conceded that they are usually more amused than annoyed when they hear of a reader finding a symbol they didn't intend.
So even if the author didn't intend for the blue curtains to symbolize depression, they still can. Themes and symbols result from the reader, not the writer. In literary theory, this idea even has a name: the intentional fallacy.
Works Referenced
Austin, Jane. Pride and Prejudice (1813). Barnes and Noble, 2015.
Britt, Darious. "How to Find a Theme." D4Darious, 17 December 2015, youtu.be/rIuKNVny9cM.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game (1985). Tor Science Fiction, 1994.
Do the Right Thing. Directed by Spike Lee, featuring Danny Aiello and Samuel L. Jackson. Universal/40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, 1989.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby (1925). Scribner, 2000.
Homer. The Odyssey (c. 8th century BCE), translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin, 1999.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost (1667). Penguin, 2003.
Reilly, Lucas. "Famous Novelists on Symbolism in Their Work and Whether It Was Intentional." Mental Floss, 15 June 2012, mentalfloss.com/article/30937/famous-novelists-symbolism-their-work-and-whether-it-was-intentional
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (1623), edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstein. Folger Shakespeare Library, 2014.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein (1818). Barnes and Noble, 2012.
Steinbeck, John. Cannery Row (1945). Penguin, 2002.
Vonnegut, Kurt. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965). Dial Press, 2006.
Vonnegut, Kurt. "The Kid Nobody Could Handle" (1955). Welcome to the Monkey House. Dial Press, 2010, pp. 270-283.
Wimsatt, W.K., and Monroe Beardsley. “The Intentional Fallacy.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 468-488, jstor.org/stable/27537676.
Austin, Jane. Pride and Prejudice (1813). Barnes and Noble, 2015.
Britt, Darious. "How to Find a Theme." D4Darious, 17 December 2015, youtu.be/rIuKNVny9cM.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game (1985). Tor Science Fiction, 1994.
Do the Right Thing. Directed by Spike Lee, featuring Danny Aiello and Samuel L. Jackson. Universal/40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, 1989.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby (1925). Scribner, 2000.
Homer. The Odyssey (c. 8th century BCE), translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin, 1999.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost (1667). Penguin, 2003.
Reilly, Lucas. "Famous Novelists on Symbolism in Their Work and Whether It Was Intentional." Mental Floss, 15 June 2012, mentalfloss.com/article/30937/famous-novelists-symbolism-their-work-and-whether-it-was-intentional
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (1623), edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstein. Folger Shakespeare Library, 2014.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein (1818). Barnes and Noble, 2012.
Steinbeck, John. Cannery Row (1945). Penguin, 2002.
Vonnegut, Kurt. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965). Dial Press, 2006.
Vonnegut, Kurt. "The Kid Nobody Could Handle" (1955). Welcome to the Monkey House. Dial Press, 2010, pp. 270-283.
Wimsatt, W.K., and Monroe Beardsley. “The Intentional Fallacy.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 468-488, jstor.org/stable/27537676.