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The theme of a book or story is a statement that describes, in a few words, the subject of a text. The most common themes in literature are love, life and death.
What is the theme of a book or story
A book or story presents a certain structure , which usually includes an introduction, a development and an outcome, which conveys information coherently throughout the story. This has an argument, actions organized in time and space, related to a set of main and secondary ideas that are intertwined to form the plot of the story. The text may also contain a conflict, a point of tension or climax, and a moral.
The theme of a book is, therefore, the main idea around which the plot and plot of a story develops. The theme works as a common thread that unites all the components of the book. For example, in a romantic novel the main theme may be the forbidden love between two people. But the story can also have other secondary or underlying themes, such as family, wealth, social roles and differences, heartbreak, etc.
The central theme of a book or story is the motif that connects all the events in the story. Generally, the theme of a text is expressed with a statement made up of a noun, such as love, loneliness, freedom, justice, life and death, or with a short sentence that summarizes the main idea, without verbs. . In some cases, the subject may even be a symbol: an object or image that represents a larger idea. In other words, it can be said that the theme of a text is a synthesis of the summary of the story.
How to identify the main idea of a book or story
To identify the theme or main idea of a book or story, it is necessary to perform the following steps:
- Read the title of the text.
- Read the rest of the text carefully.
- Analyze the introduction, since the topic of the text is usually introduced there.
- Underline the words that are repeated. If they are verbs and adjectives, turn them into nouns. For example: love → love; beautiful → beauty; unfair → injustice.
- Ask yourself: what is the text talking about? which is the message?
- Answer the question with a single word or a short phrase.
In addition, to correctly identify the theme of a book or story, it is important to take into account that many times the main theme is not obvious, that is, it is implied, or it is accompanied by several secondary themes. Sometimes the theme unfolds as the story unfolds and can only be identified after reading the entire text and analyzing its contents.
Difference Between Theme, Plot, Plot, and Moral
The subject of a book is not the same as the plot, the plot, or the moral. In fact, each of these elements are different components of a text, which are related to each other and give meaning to the story.
As mentioned above, the theme is the main idea of the text. The plot is the facts or actions that the characters in the story develop following a chronological order. You can include several ideas or themes. The plot, on the other hand, is the structure that brings together all the elements, actions, characters, and themes. The plot also includes the number of chapters, their length, and the order of the story.
Some texts, such as stories or fables, have a moral. The moral is a moral lesson that the reader learns at the end of reading the story. Generally, the moral includes the main theme of the story.
Examples of themes
In literature, there are popular themes that often appear in novels, short stories, and essays. Some of them are:
- Love
- Hatred
- The family
- Friendship
- Youth
- old age
- The pursuit of happiness
- The revenge
- Treachery
- The wealth
- The ambition
- Life
- Death
- good and evil
- The overcoming
- the internal fight
- The society
