Literary Themes

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Literary Themes

• Themes commonly found in literature

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What is a theme?

• Themes can be found everywhere literature,
  stories, art, movies etc
• The theme can be a moral.
• Ask yourself, What is the story teaching?
• Try to figure out the authors view about life by
  looking at how people behave.

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Theme Meaning

• Theme is the
• underlying meaning of the story,
• a universal truth, (something true for all)
• a significant statement the story is making about
  society or human nature.

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Theme universal truth

• The theme is usually something everyone goes
  through, a statement or a lesson about life.

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Theme...the meaning of life?

• The theme expresses the author's opinion or
  raises a question about human nature or the
  meaning of human experience.

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• At times the author's theme may not confirm or
  agree with your own beliefs.
• Even then, if skillfully written, the work will
  still have a theme that illuminates some aspects
  of true human experience.

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• The author's task is to communicate on a common
  ground with the reader.
• Although the particulars of your experience may
  be different from the details of the story, the
  general underlying truths behind the story may be
  just the connection that both you and the writer
  are seeking.

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• An understanding of theme is dependent upon one's
  previous experience of life and literature.
• THE PURPOSE OF THEME
• At the same time, theme in literature can enlarge
  one's understanding of life.

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• Be aware that the theme never completely explains
  the story.
• It is simply one of the elements that make up the
  whole. Some short stories have secondary themes
  as well.

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Common Literary Themes

• (Themes repeated in many works)

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1. The quest for immortality
Stranger, stop and cast an eye.As you are now,
so once was I.As I am now, so you shall
be,Prepare for death and follow me.
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2. The individuals relationship and obligation
to society.
Sometimes called man vs. society
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3. The individuals inward journey to understand
himself or herself/identity.
Sometimes called man vs. self
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4. The individuals relationship and obligation
to the natural world.

• Sometimes called
• man
• vs.
• nature

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5. How justice and injustice are decided
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6. The individual as hero what it means to be a
hero or anti-hero.
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7. What it means to be a survivor.
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8. The individuals experience of alienation,
lonliness and despair
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9. The artists relationship and obligation to
society.
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10. What tomorrows world holds for us

• aka The Future

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More Themes

• Bravery Never give up.
• Friendship Success comes with working together.
• Greed Family and friends are worth a ton.
• Loyalty True friends will tell you when youre
  wrong, and theyll never leave you.
• War When man has suffered a loss, no one wins.
  War is necessary sometimes.
• Honesty The truth will set you free.
• Kindness It is better to give than to receive.

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What is the theme of (handout)

• What, of This Goldfish, Would you Wish?
• The Wifes Story
• My So-Called Enemy (trailer)
• The Lottery
• Of Mice and Men
• The Hunger Games
• Choose a favorite movie or book what is the
  theme?
• Please provide text evidence