Chapter 8-Theme
“Theme” seems to be one of those mysterious “literary “ words that can intimidate students, but it shouldn’t. Let’s demystify the term “theme.”
The theme of a work is not the same as the topic, and that’s where students sometimes feel confused. However, the theme is simply the big question about life the story is interested in. A big picture item could be something like “obsession.” An author could tell a story showing what obsession looks like in many ways. If you’ve read Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff’ behavior towards Cathy shows the theme that interested this author, being obsessed with another person. Frankenstein asks about the results of being obsessive about knowledge. Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with science and wanting to create life and what happened as a result of his idée fixe shows the reader that the book isn’t just interested in what happens if he put together dead bodies and bring them to life, as if it were a zombie story. This story goes beyond its science fiction aspects into the life question of how a dangerous obsession looks. One of the themes of Macbeth is obsession, both of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth with power and also Macbeth with his wife. MacBeth will do what she says even though he knows it’s wrong. Each of these works has a different topic. The topic of Frankenstein is much different than the topic of Macbeth but they both have a theme of obsession.
Everything in the work comes together to create the theme. The plot, the characters, the setting, the point of view, the symbolism, and all the other literary elements work together to create the idea or the big question the author seeks to answer or ask. Quite often, authors actually don’t answer the question, but they ask the question and then they leave the reader to discover the answer. One of the things good literature does is create these questions about life that the reader then thinks through and keeps thinking through after finishing reading the story. A Rose for Emily is a story which quite often keeps the reader thinking, and it comes back long after finishing it. The reader starts thinking, “What was the deal with her and the dead guy in her house and why did her dad never let her marry and why did the city not deal with her sooner?” The reader starts thinking through these things that Faulkner doesn’t necessarily answer, but he looks for the reader to create some answers of his/her own, possibly.
Many stories have different topics but similar themes, and alternatively, some have similar topics but different themes. For example, many authors write romantic novels, but they could each ask a different question about life. Jane Austen wrote novels that some people consider romantic, and they are, but her works ask bigger questions about life than a Harlequin romance would. The formulaic romance novels talk mostly about the guy and the girl getting together. Jane Austen’s guy and girl do get together, but the story will ask many deeper questions about relationships and personal growth, so while they could both might look like something about romance or love, they each ask vastly different questions about life. Many people enjoy adventure stories, but they could each be asking a different question about life. For example, Leiningen Vs. the Ants is a story where a plantation owner has to protect his animals, crops, and buildings from a herd of army ants and so it’s about the triumph of the human over the difficulties of nature where Heart of Darkness, another famous adventure story, about a character who loses who he is when stationed in Africa and how he changes as he gets sucked into the things going. They’re both very much adventure stories but they have completely different themes or what they’re saying about life.
When asked about the theme of a book, a student should think beyond the topic or plot to what the author says or asks about life. Different people can see different themes in the same story, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if various students comment on different questions that they see the story asking. However, remember that not all interpretations are valid. The text must support the interpretation. Readers can disagree on the theme or see more than one theme as long as the text supports their reading. Different readers can see different themes, but every theme seen must be supported by the text.
Quite often , one must read a text several times to see how everything ties together because the first time a person reads a work, he or she may not have a reason to notice certain places, people, objects, or action. However, by the end of the work, the reader realizes that element is important. Going back and looking at those elements helps the reader draw everything together. The first, simple literal reading probably won’t bring everything together.
Looking at several different elements may help a reader to recognize the theme. The title should mean something. The title will almost always give a clue. Whether it’s ironic or sarcastic or serious, it will still usually start to point the reader toward the theme. Symbolism quite often directly leads to the theme. Potential growth or change in a protagonist might hold a clue. As I mentioned before, in Heart of Darkness, one of the main characters leaves England to go to Africa to manage a station and when another agent finally finds him, he has had a dramatic change from when he left England, and the reader is definitely pointed towards what the theme is.
When stating the theme, it won’t be just a word like revenge, but a point, such as “revenge is more destructive to the person taking revenge then to the person on whom he takes it.” The one word gives a topic, while stating a point shows the big question about life. The theme should not give a specific statement about one character or place but a generalized statement that could fit many stories because it’s the big question about life.
The theme shouldn’t sound like a cliché. Cliches are too easy. They don’t require deep thought. Use your own words, not something you hear all the time, such as “every cloud has a silver lining.” Think much more deeply. “There’s no place like home” are the words of L. Frank Baum, so if the theme revolves around home, give the theme in your words, not his.
Light or genre fiction may not have strong themes. Detective stories, which are favorites of many readers including me, usually won’t have a strong theme. They are usually based on plot or characterization. Something like Bartleby the Scrivener or A Rose for Emily requires the reader to think more deeply about what the author asks or says about life. When reading for relaxation, most readers will just enjoy the characters or the plot, so remember different types of reading have different purposes.
A few last thoughts on theme; Don’t work so hard to find a theme on the first reading that you don’t enjoy the story. Good literature can be enjoyed without having to think that deeply about it on the first try. However, the story becomes much more enjoyable if you take the time to reread it or reread sections of it and spend time thinking about what the author is saying, particularly in a literature class because the instructor will ask. Once you’re familiar with a story, taking the time to really think about what the question or statement the author is making makes the story more enjoyable and satisfying.
