Often, we hear simple life advice like “just be yourself.” It sounds good on the surface, doesn’t it? But when you start to think about it, is it really that straightforward? What if you’re still figuring out who “yourself” is? Or if the “self” you’re being isn’t exactly the best version? Life, and people, are complex, and simple advice often falls short.
This complexity is precisely what great stories and novels delve into. Instead of offering easy answers, they explore the bigger, more complicated questions behind the advice. They ask things like, how do we truly know ourselves? and what shapes our identity? This exploration of deeper issues is what we call theme in literature. It’s much more than a simple lesson or moral.
A theme is the central, underlying idea of a story. Think of it as the story’s backbone – the unifying concept that emerges as characters navigate their challenges and pursue their goals. It’s less about the plot’s surface – whether the hero wins the battle or finds love – and more about the profound questions about identity, morality, society, or human nature that rise to the surface during their journey.
It’s easy to confuse themes with morals, but they aren’t the same. A moral is a lesson, a piece of advice telling you how to live, often in a simplistic, black and white way. Morals can be helpful for children learning right from wrong, but as we experience more of the world’s nuances, these simple directives can feel inadequate, even patronizing. “Be yourself” is a moral; understanding how to be yourself, and what that even means in a complex world, is a theme.
The renowned writer and teacher John Gardner put it this way: “By ‘theme’ we do not mean ‘message’—a word no good writer likes applied to his work.” Similarly, Anton Chekhov, another literary giant, stated, “You are confusing two concepts, the solution of the problem and the correct formulation of the problem. Only the second is required of the artist.” Essentially, writers aren’t in the business of handing out easy answers. Their craft lies in clearly presenting the complex questions of life through their stories.
Consider Alice Munro’s short story “Boys and Girls.” It portrays a young girl growing up on a farm who naturally gravitates towards traditionally masculine tasks, working outdoors with her father. However, societal expectations begin to push her towards feminine roles, assisting her mother in the kitchen – activities she finds less appealing. She resists, wanting to remain in her father’s world. Yet, in a pivotal moment near the story’s climax, when her father is attempting to capture a horse for slaughter, he asks her to close a gate. Instead, she opens it. This act is rebellious, freeing the horse much like she resists being confined by gender roles. But it’s also a choice, inadvertently aligning herself with the feminine sphere, which her father then dismisses as “just a girl.”
So, what’s the theme in “Boys and Girls”? “Gender roles” is a solid starting point. It’s the significant issue that emerges from the narrative. It’s what the story is fundamentally about. But to dig deeper, we can phrase the theme as a more intricate question: How do societal gender roles shape our identities? To what extent are these definitions valid or limiting? Are gender roles culturally imposed or inherent? What are the repercussions of both upholding and challenging these roles? These questions are more nuanced and represent the theme in its complexity.
Crucially, Munro’s story doesn’t offer solutions or prescribe actions regarding gender roles. It doesn’t advocate for defying or accepting them. It doesn’t provide a moral compass.
Why not? Because these are not simple issues with easy solutions, neither in fiction nor in real life. This is why framing themes as questions is often more effective. The most impactful stories respect the difficulty of these questions by illustrating them vividly, preserving their inherent mystery and intricacy, rather than forcing a simplistic answer. This authenticity, this reflection of life’s complexities, is what makes fiction feel “true,” and why grasping a story’s theme is far more enriching than hunting for a simplistic moral.
To cite this article in MLA style:
Bushnell, J.T. “What Is A Theme in Literature?” what.edu.vn Guide to Literary Concepts, [Current Date], what.edu.vn, [insert URL of this article once published].
