Understanding Theme

You‘ve probably heard the word “theme” used in different ways…

Theme party

Decorating theme

Can you think of any other ways you’ve heard the word theme?

Theme park

What does theme mean in literature?

Theme is … Theme is NOT…

The author’s message about life to the reader.

A universal idea that can apply to lots of different people and lots of different circumstances.

The plot, characters, or mood of the story.

A one word topic (love, forgiveness, etc.)

A cliché (Don’t judge a book by its cover).

Which of the following could be literary THEMES? How do you know?

• Love is the strongest force in the world.• Anger.• Being greedy can lead to bad consequences.• Golden rule.• Cowboys vs. aliens.• Everyone will face obstacles that he/she will

need to overcome. • A penny saved is a penny earned.

There are LOTS of ways to find the theme of a work of literature!

1. Examine the title. Often, authors choose a symbolic title that gives a hint about the theme.

2. Identify the “big world” universal topic of the work. Then ask yourself, “What point is the author trying to make about the topic?”

3. Find the main conflict and its resolution. Ask yourself what the author wants you to learn from the problems and resolutions in the story.

4. Pay attention to lessons that characters learn. Sometimes, these lessons are the theme!

What else do I need to know about theme?

• There can be more than one theme in a work of literature, especially in a longer work, like a play or a novel.

• There can be different interpretations of a theme, depending on the reader’s schema and understanding of the work. As long as you can defend your theme, you’re probably right.

Let’s practice…

Your teacher will read you a story. Use one (or more) of the methods to determine the theme of the story. Be ready to defend your interpretation of the theme!

The Old Man and his Little Grandson retold by Leo Tolstoy

"The grandfather had become very old. His legs would not carry him, his eyes could not see, his ears could not hear, and he was toothless. When he ate, bits of food sometimes dropped out of his mouth. His son and his son's wife no longer allowed him to eat with them at the table. He had to eat his meals in the corner near the stove.

One day they gave him his food in a bowl. He tried to move the bowl closer; it fell to the floor and broke. His daughter-in-law scolded him. She told him that he spoiled everything in the house and broke their dishes, and she said that from now on he would get his food in a wooden dish. The old man sighed and said nothing.

A few days later, the old man's son and his wife were sitting in their hut, resting and watching their little boy playing on the floor. They saw him putting together something out of small pieces of wood. His father asked him, "What are you making, Misha?"

The little grandson said, "I'm making a wooden bucket. When you and Mamma get old, I'll feed you out of this wooden dish."

The young peasant and his wife looked at each other, and tears filled their eyes. They were ashamed because they had treated the old grandfather so meanly, and from that day they again let the old man eat with them at the table and took better care of him.

What was the theme? If you said something like…

“It’s important to show respect for ALL people.”

OR

“The way adults behave will influence the future generation”

YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!

How do we know? • Main conflict = The parents are mean to the old

grandfather.

• Resolution = Misha, the boy, makes a wooden bucket and says he will feed his parents out of it when they get old. This makes the parents realize that their mean actions have influenced their son. They decide to treat the old man better.

• From the conflict and resolution, we can infer that the author is trying to tell use that it is important to treat everyone with respect. We can also infer that the author is trying to point out that the way adults behave will influence kids, just like it influenced Misha.

Are there any other ways to know the theme of that story?

Topic = Being respectful

Since the parents learned that the way they treated the grandfather was unfair and that it influenced their son to think that being mean to elderly people was normal, we can infer that the author is trying to say that it’s important to respect everyone!

ClosureOn your sticky note, write…

Your Name3 things you KNOW about theme.2 ways you can FIND the theme.1 thing you WONDER about theme.