Introduction

The theme is the author’s intended message to the audience. If you were to summarize an entire story on one sentence, you’d likely be touching on the theme. Themes sometimes stand out in a very obvious way, and other times the reader must analyze what the author is trying to convey in order to determine the theme.

For example:

• La La Land: Work hard and never give up on achieving your dream.
• Aladdin: Stay true to yourself and don’t lie, cheat, or steal.
• Lord of the Flies: To obtain a safe environment, humans require structure, rules, and authority.

To find a theme, think about the relationship between the characters, analyze the impact of the setting, and imagine how you’d summarize the entire story in just one sentence. Because people would summarize a story in an individualized manner, themes are subjective.

Conflict is a struggle within the story is a great attention grabber. It can include internal conflict (a character struggling with their own thoughts), conflict between characters (often the protagonist and antagonist), and even conflict between external factors, such as the setting (natural disasters, drought, etc). To find the conflict, reflect on the most exciting or memorable part of a story – something the entire story has lead up to.

Theme

The theme is the main idea, lesson or message in the novel. It usually states an idea about humans, society or life.

You will often be asked to analyze how the theme is expressed. Study the novel to check if any elements are repeated that may suggest a theme. Is there more than one theme? In the Harry Potter stories there may be many themes. One of the most important must be the value of being modest. Harry does not boast, he is humble, loyal and good. That is why he succeeds in the end. This is the lesson that Rowling wants to pass on to us. We are clearly shown what happens to the characters that are selfish and mean.

• The theme is the main idea in the story.
• The message is the lesson the author wants to teach us.

Theme can also be expressed as

• the underlying meaning of a literary work, a general truth about life or mankind.

A theme is the general subject the story revolves around. It often represents universal and timeless ideas that are relevant in most people’s lives.

Even though a novel may have an action-packed story, the underlying theme may be to stick to your friends and be loyal – as in Harry Potter.

Theme (Easy Novel Guide). Authored by: Eli M. Huseby and Knut Inge Skifjeld. Provided by: NDLA. Located at: http://ndla.no/en/node/62755?fag=42. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

Content from Theme. Authored by: Knut Inge Skifjeld and Anne Scott Hagen. Provided by: NDLA. Located at: http://ndla.no/en/node/62755?fag=42. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

How To Find A Theme

“How To Find A Theme.” Youtube, uploaded by D4Darious. 17 Dec 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIuKNVny9cM

Conflict

If stories were without conflicts or tension, we would be easily bored. The conflict is usually the heart of the story and revolves around the main character. What does Harry struggle with? The main conflict is Harry’s attempt to stop Voldemort, the murderer of his parents, from stealing the Philosopher’s Stone. So, it is a classical fight between good and evil forces. We also note that the world of the wizards clashes with the world of the Muggles, where the Muggles are represented by the stupid Dursleys. These are outer conflicts threatening Harry. However, there are also conflicts going on inside Harry; like, should he:

• Avenge the murder of his parents?
• Live by the wizard rules and obligations?
• Punish the Dursleys for treating him so badly?
• Boast of his skills and abilities?
• Be loyal to his friends?

Conflicts are important to stories to make them interesting.

There may be outer and inner conflicts.

Conflict: a struggle between opposing forces.

A conflict is a misunderstanding or clash of interests that develops in the story. This often occurs between main characters. It drives the story forward and creates suspense.

If a story had no conflict, it would be very boring. A conflict is basically a situation which has to change.

Examples

In a story where someone finds a lump of gold, the conflicts will probably revolve around who gets to keep this gold. The conflict here would involve greed.

If a plane crashes in the mountains, the conflict will deal with survival.

But conflicts may also be on a personal level – like in novels where a person struggles with emotional issues or moral dilemmas.

Conflict (Easy Novel Guide). Authored by: Eli M. Huseby and Knut Inge Skifjeld. Provided by: NDLA. Located at: http://ndla.no/en/node/62754?fag=56850. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

Content from Conflict video. Authored by: Anne Scott Hagen and Knut Inge Skifjeld. Provided by: NDLA. Located at: http://ndla.no/en/node/62754?fag=56850. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

What Makes a Good Story

“What Makes a Good Story?” Youtube, uploaded by D4Darious. 24 March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCzcoyDp2fY

Summary

Theme is the baseline of a story and it’s usually a very intention message set by the author. Thinking about a work of literature and summarizing it in one sentence is a good way to determine a theme. Because everyone’s interpretations of a story will vary, themes will not be exactly the same for each and every person that’s read a story. Thinking about the character’s relationships, parts of the story with extreme action, and the type of story will help you zero in on the theme.

Conflict is a critical part of a story. It shows the ways characters react to situations, defines their perseverance, and pulls the reader into the story with an exciting twist. To find the conflict, reflect on the most memorable or exciting part of a story.