THEME

WHAT IS THEME

• The theme is the underlying or central message that the writer would like to get across which may be
stated directly or indirectly.

• It's important not to confuse the theme and the main idea.

• The theme is an underlying message of bravery, or hope, or love.

• The main idea, however, is simply what the story is about. In a way, the main idea is a tight summary
of the plot.
MAJOR AND MINOR THEMES

• There can be major and minor themes in works of literature:

• A major theme is an idea that a writer repeats in his work, making it the most
significant idea in a literary work.

• A minor theme, on the other hand, refers to an idea that appears in a work
briefly and that may or may not give way to another minor theme.
TIPS ON IDENTIFYING THEMES

• Note the plot -What were the conflicts in the work? What was the most
important moment in the work? Does the author resolve the conflict?

• Identify the subject-If you were to tell a friend what the work of literature
was about, how would you describe that?
TIPS CONT’D

• Who is the protagonist (the main character)?

• How does he or she change? Does the protagonist affect other characters? How does this
character relate to others?

• You can also ask:

 What problem is the main character facing?
 What lesson did the main character learn?
 What message can you take away from the story?
TIPS CONT’D

• Authors sometimes tell readers the theme toward the end of a story

• Reading hint: Look at the page of a story to see if your can find a stated
theme
THEME STATED

• Sometimes an author will come right out and state the theme of a story or
poem.
INFERRING THEME

• Sometimes the theme is not stated and you need to make an inference
INFERRING EXAMPLE

• How does the speaker feel about the beginning of the poem?
• How do the speaker’s feelings change?
LINK

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIuKNVny9cM