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Determining Themes and Central Ideas (RL 10.2)

Fiction/Reading Literature

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Adapted from Petty’s Powerpoint

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Standard for Reading Literature

2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

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Determining Themes in Fiction

  • A theme is a message about or an insight into life.
  • In other words, it is the main idea of a work of fiction.
  • It is expressed in a statement, meaning a complete sentence.
  • Themes are developed through characters—their decisions, experiences, and insights.

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2 Types of Themes

  • Stated themes are expressed directly in the text by the writer.
  • Implied themes are revealed gradually through elements such as plot, characters, setting, point of view, symbol, and irony.

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Implied Themes

  • Implied themes are more frequent.

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  • READERS must determine the theme through examination of characters and story patterns.

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Example

Story Details

    • Alex demands that Bob and Jake bully Ryan.
    • Jake refuses. Bob bullies Ryan but feels bad afterward.

Story Patterns

    • Contrast: Jake stands up for what he believes; Bob does not.
    • Before-and-After: Bob acts against his better judgment and feels terrible.

Generalization from Pattern:

    • People who act against their better judgment may feel bad afterward.

Implied Theme

    • Stay true to your own values.

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Your Turn

  • For the following example passage, determine the following information:

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  • How is this a before-and-after story pattern? Fill in the details that support the pattern.

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  • What generalization can we make from this pattern?

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  • What then, is the implied theme of this text?

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Before-and-After Pattern

A man went to a fancy party where he, along with several other guests, was to be honored. Dressed in ordinary clothes, the man was overlooked—no host greeted him, no guests chatted with him, no servants served him. The man went home, put on his best clothes, and returned to the party. Now the host introduced himself and commanded the servers to bring food to the man. When the man offered the food to his dress coat, the host was puzzled. The man explained that his clothes should have the food, since the host was actually honoring them.

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Example

Story Pattern

    • Before-and-After: Treatment of guest before and after his change of clothes.

Generalization

    • The host and servants respond to clothing.

Implied Theme

    • People should be judged by their characters, not their clothing.

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In summary:

  • We readers determine themes/central ideas in fiction
  • Themes can be directly stated or implied through careful examination of characters and story patterns.
  • Themes are expressed in a statement, or a complete sentence.
  • Central ideas are the main ideas identified and developed in texts.
  • Both themes and central ideas will be supported through details in the text, and it is our job as readers to figure out what the theme/idea is. It’s the “so what?” of our reading.

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