Learn

What is a Theme?

By now, you have already had some experience in Unit 1 with identifying the theme in poems and images.  This valuable skill helps you understand the message or purpose of a text.  The theme is the heart of any text. 

Rarely is the theme stated explicitly in a text, but if you have a clear understanding of what a theme is, you can craft a sentence (or two) that clearly states the theme.  Very often, the theme statement can help you write the thesis for an essay. 

Key Characteristics of Theme:

A Theme Is. . .	A Theme Is Not. . .
A theme is a statement about human nature or an insight into life.  Here’s a sample theme statement:  Relationship struggles often stem from a lack of effective communication.	A theme is not a topic.   A topic is the general subject of a text, such as “relationship struggles” or “addiction.”
A theme is complex.  The example theme statement above, “Relationship struggles often stem from a lack of effective communication,” could be discussed from many angles.  You could focus on people who are dishonest in their communications, people who are too emotional, and/or people who refuse to communicate.  The possibilities are endless.	A theme does not make blanket generalizations.  Avoid such words as always, never, everyone, etc.  A theme statement should be an accurate representation of life or human nature, which means it should leave room for exceptions.  A theme statement such as this would not leave room for such exceptions:  The cause of all relationship struggles is a lack of communication.
A theme statement illustrates an important truth expressed in a specific text.  While it’s true that texts can share a similar theme, the purpose of writing a theme statement is to pull out the key message from a particular text that an author is trying to convey.	A theme statement is not a cliché.  A theme statement based on a cliché would not show any specific insight into a text:  Love conquers all.  It would merely be repeating an unoriginal saying.