Theme

Controlling idea or its central insight, generally a unifying generalization about life state or implied by the story

To derive the theme, we must determine its central purpose - what view o flife it supposrts or what insight into life it reveals.

Note

There is no prescribed method for discovering them.

Thematic Principles

Theme should be expressible in the form of a statement with a subject + predicate

Example

Loyalty to a country often inspires heroic self-sacrifice.

Theme should be stated as a generalization about life

No specific name sof people or place from the text

Must not make the generalization larger than is justified by the terms of the story

Avoid absolutes (every, all always, never; etc.) and instead use modifiers (som, sometimes, often, may, etc.)

There is no one way of stating the theme of a story It merely presents a view of life, if the previous criteria are met

Avoid using statements that reduce the theme to a familiar saying, latitude, or cliché

Example

You can't judge a book by its cover

A stitch in time saves nine.