How to write a THEME statement
Theme Statements
2 Purposes of the Theme Statement[1]
The theme statement can help you interpret and write about literature in two main ways:
(1) it forces you to decide on a clear, simple interpretation before you begin writing, and
(2) it provides your reader with a summary of your interpretation.
3 Characteristics of a Good Theme Statement
Theme is the main idea, concern, moral, purpose, or underlying message of a text. In a serious piece of literature, the theme is usually expressed indirectly rather than directly and requires the reader to deduce it from the narrative details of the text.
Theme is an abstract idea coupled with a comment or observation which addresses human motivation, human condition, or human ambition.
A successful theme statement must be general enough to capture the overall meaning of the work, but specific enough so that it conveys your unique interpretation. If your theme statement follows the following guidelines (and if you don't misread or misinterpret the work) then you will be starting your essay on the right foot.
1. In a sense, every literary work makes a statement or has a point. When you create a theme statement, you’re substituting your single sentence for the entire poem, story, or novel, etc. That means that you have to simplify the meaning somewhat to get it into a single sentence; nevertheless, your theme statement itself should make a point.
2. The theme statement should be a complete sentence. “Love and death” (for example) is not a theme statement. It’s just an announcement of the topic of the work. What in particular is the author saying about love and death? A sentence like “The theme of the poem is love and death” is grammatically speaking a complete sentence, but if you remove the beginning of the sentence (“The theme of the poem is”), then you don’t have a complete sentence, just a wordy announcement of the topic.
3. The theme statement should describe the general meaning of the work, not the specific events, actions, or characters. The statement “Luke defeats Darth Vader” is not a theme statement but a plot summary. Instead of describing what the characters do, discuss what they represent (“Good defeats evil”). Often the theme statement takes the form of a moral or a judgment (“People cannot defeat an external evil until they acknowledge their own dark side”). Of course this overall theme results from what the characters do (or from the literal meaning of words in a poem), and in supporting your general interpretation, you should cite some of these specific details.
4. The theme statement should reflect the values of the entire work, not just one or two episodes or lines. In particular, look at the end of the work to make sure that the story’s outcome matches what you think its general meaning is.
(
Ways to Generate a Theme Statement
There are a number of ways. Here are a few examples.
One Version
1. Creating a theme statement first requires identifying different important topics that can be found in the work.
Examples: love, betrayal, power, ambition
2. Next, think about how this topic is treated in the text. Is there a positive or negative impact in the treatment of the theme topic?
Example: Too much ambition can be bad.
3. Finally, what is the result of this treatment? What outcome can be identified in the either positive or negative treatment of the theme topic?
Example: Excessive ambition can lead to a character’s downfall.
4. Therefore, a theme statement can be created using the following formula:
TOPIC + TREATMENT (+/-) = RESULT
Another Version
a. Summarize the plot by writing one sentence descriptions for the exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
b. Identify the subject(s) or topic(s) of the work.
c. What is the insight or truth learned about the subject/topic? How did the protagonist change?
What lesson did the protagonist learn from the resolution of the conflict?
d. How does the plot present the primary insight or truth about the subject?
e. Write one or more generalized declarative sentence that state what is leaned and how it is learned.
Check the Theme:
Is the theme supported by evidence from the work itself?
Does the theme address the complexity of the author's choices of plot, character, conflict, and tone?
Guidelines & Revision Help
Generally, it will take at least three tries to create a strong theme statement.
Revise if you Instead use[2]
- use characters' names - “one”, “a person”, “people”
- use" you" - see above
- write an order - rephrase as an observation
- write a plot summary - see above
- write a cliché' - expand into your own words
- write a "next time" statement - focus on what actually happens in the text
- write a moral - rephrase as an observation
- use absolute words - “sometime”, “often”, frequently”, “many”, “some”, etc.
- (
Theme Statement Examples and List of Topics
"The Most Dangerous Game"
Men, when they are courageous and lucky, even in a hostile environment, can overcome the odds against their survival.
A person’s reason, courage and strength can reach their full potential when challenged by a hostile environment.
The Crucible
Hysteria often takes the place of logic and causes people to behave in an irrational manner and to believe things that under normal conditions they would doubt.
In an environment where reputation plays such an important role, the fear of guilt by association becomes particularly pernicious.
Which of the following is a valid theme statement according to the above guidelines?
1. The true meaning of love.
2. Mrs. Farquar learns that British people can't dance.
3. Because the main character commits suicide, the theme is that we should all commit suicide.
4. It is better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all.
|Adaptability |Games/contests/sports |Privacy |
|Adventure |Gratitude |Prophecy |
|Ambition |Greed |Race relations |
|Appearance vs. reality |Growing up |Reality |
|Betrayal |Guilt |Religion |
|Bureaucracy |Hate |Repentance |
|Chance / fate / luck |Heart vs. reason |Resistance |
|Childhood |Heaven/paradise/utopia |Rebellion |
|Children |Home |Respect |
|Citizenship |Hope |Responsibility |
|Compassion |Identity |Revenge |
|Confidence |Illusion/innocence |Retribution |
|Consideration |Independence |Ritual / Ceremony |
|Courage |Initiation |Scapegoat |
|Cowardice |Initiative |Victim |
|Cruelty / Violence |Instinct |Search for identity |
|Curiosity |Integrity |Self-actualization |
|Custom / tradition |Journey (psychological or literal) |Self-discipline |
|Death |Justice |Self-improvement |
|Friendship |Law |Service |
|Defeat/failure |Loneliness |Social status |
|Despair / discontent / disillusionment |Love |Success |
|Diligence |Loyalty |Supernatural |
|Domination / suppression |Materialism |Teamwork |
|Dreams / fantasies |Maturity |Time |
|Duty |Memory |Eternity |
|Education/school |Past |Tricks |
|Endurance |Mob psychology / hysteria |Truth |
|Equality |Music / dance |Unhappiness |
|Escape |Nature |War |
|Exile |Patience |Wealth |
|Faith / loss of faith |Patriotism |Women/Feminism |
|Falsity / pretense |Peace | |
|Family / parenthood / commitment |Persistence | |
|Fear |Perseverance | |
|Free will/will power |Poverty | |
|freedom |Prejudice | |
| |Pride | |
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[1] with some other additions by the teacher
[2] some wording & ideas from:
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