Can Night Be a Theme in Art and Literature
When someone asks you lot "What is this book about?", there are a few ways you lot can answer. At that place'due south "plot," which refers to the literal events in the book, and there'southward "character," which refers to the people in the book and the struggles they overcome. Finally, in that location are themes in literature that correspond with the work'south topic and message. Merely what is theme in literature?
The theme of a story refers to that story's deeper meaning. All works of literature contend with certain complex ideas, and theme is how a story or poem approaches these ideas.
There are countless ways to arroyo the theme of a story or poem, so we'll take a look at some theme examples and a list of themes in literature. We'll also discuss the differences between theme and other devices, like theme vs moral and theme vs topic. Finally, we examine why theme is so essential to any work of literature, including your own writing.
Simply start, what is theme? Let's explore what theme is—and what theme isn't.
Theme Definition
Theme describes the central idea(s) that a piece of writing explores. Rather than stating this theme directly, the author will await at theme using the set of literary tools at their disposal. The theme of a story or poem will be explored through elements similar characters, plot, settings, disharmonize, and fifty-fifty give-and-take choice and literary devices.
Theme describes the primal idea(s) that a piece of writing explores.
All works of literature have these "central ideas," even if those ideas aren't immediately understandable.
Justice, for instance, is a theme that shows upwardly in a lot of classical works. To Kill a Mockingbird contends with racial justice, especially at a time when the U.S. justice system was exceedingly stacked against African Americans. How can a nation call itself simply when justice is used as a weapon?
By dissimilarity, the play Hamlet is about the son of a recently-executed rex. Hamlet seeks justice for his father and vows to kill Claudius—his father's killer—but routinely encounters the paradox of revenge. Tin justice really be constitute through more mortality?
Clearly, these two works contend with justice in unrelated means. All themes in literature are broad and open-ended, allowing writers to explore their ain ideas about these circuitous topics.
Check Out Our Online Writing Courses!
Writing for Children: Create A Picture Volume!
with Kelly Bingham
April 27th, 2022
Picture books have inverse greatly over the terminal few decades, and the marketplace is wide open for fresh ideas. Join the states in this 6-calendar week intensive where nosotros'll have that idea of yours and turn it into a manuscript!
20 Common Themes in Literature
Let's look at some common themes in literature. The ideas presented within this list of themes in literature bear witness up in novels, memoirs, poems, and stories throughout history.
| Theme | Theme Definition | Theme Examples |
| Circle of Life | What comes around, goes around. The Circle of Life dwells on life's transience and impermanence: how death isn't decease, just an development. |
|
| Coming of Age | Likewise known equally a bildungsroman, Coming of Historic period involves the intense experiences of growing up, and how these experiences shape the future of the protagonist. |
|
| Faith vs Dubiety | Whether information technology'south faith in God, other people, or the protagonist's own self, believing isn't like shooting fish in a barrel—just is it worth doing anyway? |
|
| Family | Many families are connected by blood, but to overcome certain obstacles, literary families must strengthen their ties to each other. |
|
| Fate vs Free Will | How much of our actions are decided past fate, and how much does gratis will really control? |
|
| Good vs Evil | One can contend that every story is virtually good vs evil, assuming the story has a protagonist and adversary. Still, expert and evil are in eternal disharmonize with each other, so writers must document how this disharmonize evolves. |
|
| Hubris | Hubris refers to excessive self-confidence and the terrible decisions that arise from it. Many works of literature explore hubris as man's defiance of God/the gods, or else man himself playing God. |
|
| Identity | At some point in their life, the protagonist asks the question: who am I? Additionally, "Identity" refers to the qualities that make one person distinct from another. How much of a difference exists between you and I? |
|
| Justice | What makes a society simply? What are the proper consequences for people who do the incorrect thing? Who is all-time equipped to dispense justice? Are nosotros collectively responsible for each other'due south actions? |
|
| Loneliness | Loneliness affects the way people recall, human action, and view the world. The theme of loneliness charts how sure characters contend with their loneliness, and whether man can survive this disconnection from others. |
|
| Man vs Nature | Homo's natural inclination is to dominate the country, simply nature has its own means of survival. |
|
| Man vs Self | Sometimes, the protagonist is their own adversary. In lodge to overcome sure challenges, the protagonist must first overcome their own internal conflicts. |
|
| Man vs Guild | When the story'south antagonist is society-at-large, the protagonist must convince the globe that it's sick—or else dice trying. Some protagonists also try to escape society altogether. |
|
| Power and Corruption | Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts admittedly. This theme is often closely related to "Man vs Lodge." Additionally, "Ability" can refer to a person's political leadership, personal wealth, physical prowess, etc. |
|
| Pursuit of Beloved | Dearest makes the world go round, only it's not always easy to discover. Whether it'southward romantic, familial, or ideal love, in that location's much to exist said virtually dear's pursuit—and the conflict that comes from pursuing it. |
|
| Revenge | When someone wrongs you or the people you lot love, revenge is tempting. Merely, is revenge worth it? Tin can revenge beget justice? And how far is too far? |
|
| Sacrificial Honey | When you truly love someone, you're willing to sacrifice everything for them. Sacrifice is a component of all themes concerning love, though this is especially true for stories about motherly dearest. |
|
| Survival | When survival is at stake, people discover the limits of their own power. The theme of survival applies to stories near being lost in the wilderness, but it also applies to stories near the survival of ideas, groups, and humanity-at-big. |
|
| The Surround | Whether it'due south because of technology, climatic change, or our increasingly online world, human'southward relationship to the surroundings is ever-evolving. Themes in literature concerning the environment frequently coincide with "man vs nature." |
|
| War | Mankind has been at war with itself since the dawn of civilization. The causes of state of war, as well as its impacts on society, are topics of frequent musing by writers—peculiarly writers who have been at war themselves. |
|
Theme Examples
Permit's take a closer look at how writers approach and execute theme. Themes in literature are conveyed throughout the work, then while you might not have read the books in the following theme examples, we've provided plot synopses and other relevant details where necessary. Nosotros analyze the following:
- Power and Corruption in the novel Animal Farm
- Loneliness in the short story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"
- Dear in the Poem "How Do I Love Thee"
Theme Examples: Power and Corruption in the Novel Animal Subcontract
At its simplest, the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory that represents the rise and moral pass up of Communism in Russia. Specifically, the novel uncovers how ability corrupts the leaders of populist uprisings, turning philosophical ideals into disciplinarian regimes.
Near of the characters in Animal Farm represent primal figures during and after the Russian Revolution. On an bilious farm that'due south run by the negligent farmer Mr. Jones (Tsar Nicholas 2), the livestock are ready to seize command of the country. The livestock'southward discontent is ripened by Old Major (Karl Marx/Lenin), who advocates for the overthrow of the ruling elite and the seizure of private land for public benefit.
Subsequently Old Major dies, the pigs Napoleon (Joseph Stalin) and Snowball (Leon Trotsky) phase a revolt. Mr. Jones is chased off the land, which parallels the Russian Revolution in 1917. The pigs then instill "Animalism"—a organisation of government that advocates for the rights of the mutual animal. At the cadre of this philosophy is the idea that "all animals are equal"—an ideal that, briefly, every animal upholds.
Initially, the Animalist Revolution brings peace and prosperity to the subcontract. Every fauna is well-fed, learns how to read, and works for the betterment of the customs. Still, when Snowball starts implementing a plan to build a windmill, Napoleon drives Snowball off of the subcontract, effectively assuming leadership over the whole farm. (In existent life, Stalin forced Trotsky into exile, and Trotsky spent the rest of his life critiquing the Stalin regime until he was assassinated in 1940.)
Napoleon's leadership quickly devolves into demagoguery, demonstrating the corrupting influence of power and the means that ideology can breed authoritarianism. Napoleon uses Snowball as a scapegoat for whenever the farm has a setback, while using Grunter (Vyacheslav Molotov) as his private informant and public orator.
Somewhen, Napoleon changes the tenets of Animalism, starts walking on two legs, and acquires other traits and characteristics of humans. At the end of the novel, and after several more conflicts, purges, and rule changes, the livestock can no longer tell the deviation between the pigs and humans.
Themes in Literature: Power and Abuse in Animal Farm
So, how does Animal Subcontract explore the theme of "Power and Abuse"? Let's analyze a few key elements of the novel.
Plot: The novel'south major plot points each relate to power struggles among the livestock. First, the livestock wrest command of the subcontract from Mr. Jones; then, Napoleon ostracizes Snowball and turns him into a scapegoat. By seizing leadership of the subcontract for himself, Napoleon grants himself massive power over the land, abusing this power for his own do good. His leadership brings about purges, dominion changes, and the return of inequality amid the livestock, while Napoleon himself starts to look more and more like a homo—in other words, he resembles the demagoguery of Mr. Jones and the abuse that preceded the Animalist revolution.
Thus, each plot point revolves effectually power and how power is wielded past corrupt leadership. At its center, the novel warns the reader of unchecked power, and how corrupt leaders will create repeat chambers and private militaries in lodge to preserve that power.
Characters: The novel'south characters reinforce this message of power by resembling real life events. Most of these characters represent existent life figures from the Russian Revolution, including the ideologies behind that revolution. Past creating an allegory around Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, and the other leading figures of Communist Russian federation'south rise and autumn, the novel reminds u.s. that unchecked ability foments disaster in the real world.
Literary Devices: There are a few central literary devices that support the theme of Power and Abuse. Offset, the novel itself is a "satirical allegory." "Satire" means that the novel is ridiculing the behaviors of certain people—namely Stalin, who instilled far-more than-dangerous laws and abuses that created farther inequality in Russia/the United statesSouthward.R. While Lenin and Trotsky had admirable goals for the Russian nation, Stalin is, quite literally, a pig.
Meanwhile, "allegory" means that the story bears symbolic resemblance to real life, often to teach a moral. The characters and events in this story resemble the Russian Revolution and its aftermath, with the purpose of alarm the reader about unchecked power.
Finally, an of import literary device in Animal Subcontract is symbolism. When Napoleon (Stalin) begins to resemble a homo, the novel suggests that he has become as evil and negligent as Mr. Jones (Tsar Nicholas 2). Since the Russian Revolution was a rejection of the Russian monarchy, equating Stalin to the monarchy reinforces the corrupting influence of power, and the demand to elect moral individuals to posts of national leadership.
Theme Examples: Loneliness in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"
Ernest Hemingway's short story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is concerned with the theme of loneliness. You can read this short story here. Content alert for mentions of suicide.
There are very few plot points in Hemingway's story, so most of the story's theme is expressed through dialogue and description. In the story, an old man stays up belatedly drinking at a cafe. The former man has no wife—only a niece that stays with him—and he attempted suicide the previous week. 2 waiters observe him: a younger waiter wants the old man to exit then they can close the cafe, while an older waiter sympathizes with the old man. None of these characters have names.
The younger waiter kicks out the onetime man and closes the cafe. The older waiter walks to a unlike cafe and ruminates on the importance of "a clean, well-lighted place" similar the cafe he works at.
Themes in Literature: Loneliness in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"
Hemingway doesn't tell the states what to think nigh the former man's loneliness, only he does provide two opposing viewpoints through the dialogue of the waiters.
The younger waiter has the hallmarks of a happy life: youth, confidence, and a wife to come home to. While he acknowledges that the one-time man is unhappy, he likewise admits "I don't want to look at him," complaining that the onetime human being has "no regard for those who must work." The younger waiter "did not wish to exist unjust," he but wanted to render home.
The older waiter doesn't have the privilege of turning away: similar the sometime man, he has a house only not a dwelling to return to, and he knows that someone may need the condolement of "a make clean and pleasant cafe."
The older waiter, like Hemingway, empathizes with the plight of the erstwhile homo. When your place of rest isn't a dwelling house, the world can feel like a prison, and then having access to a space that counteracts this feeling is crucial. What kind of a place is that? The older waiter surmises that "the light of course" matters, but the place must exist "clean and pleasant" too. Additionally, the place should not have music or be a bar: information technology must allow y'all preserve the quiet dignity of yourself.
Lastly, the older waiter's musings nearly God clue the reader well-nigh his shared loneliness with the sometime man. In a stream of consciousness, the older waiter recites traditional Christian prayers with "nada" in place of "God," "Father," "Heaven," and other symbols of divinity. A bartender describes the waiter every bit "otro locos mas" (translation: some other crazy), and the waiter concludes that his plight must exist insomnia.
This belies the irony of loneliness: only the lonely recognize it. The older waiter lacks confidence, youth, and belief in a greater good. He recognizes these traits in the onetime man, as they both share a need for a clean, well-lighted place long after nigh people fall asleep. However, the younger waiter and the bartender don't recognize these traits as loneliness, just the ramblings and shortcomings of crazy people.
Does loneliness afford craziness? Perhaps. But to call the waiter and old homo crazy would dismiss their feelings and experiences, further deepening their loneliness.
Loneliness is only mentioned one time in the story, when the young waiter says "He'southward [the erstwhile man] lone. I'm not solitary. I accept a married woman waiting in bed for me." Withal, loneliness consumes this short story and its older characters, revealing a plight that, ironically, only the lonely sympathize.
Theme Examples: Dear in the Poem "How Practise I Beloved Thee"
Permit's turn towards brighter themes in literature: namely, beloved. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem "How Practise I Dearest Thee" is all about the theme of love.
How practise I love thee? Let me count the means.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul tin reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every 24-hour interval'southward
Virtually placidity demand, past sun and candle-low-cal.
I dear thee freely, equally men strive for correct.
I love thee purely, equally they plough from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I dear thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I dearest thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee meliorate after death.
Themes in Literature: Beloved in "How Exercise I Love Thee"
Browning's verse form is a sonnet, which is a 14-line poem that frequently centers around love and relationships. Sonnets have unlike requirements depending on their form, simply betwixt lines 6-8, they all have a volta—a surprising line that twists and expands the poem's meaning.
Let's analyze iii things related to the verse form's theme: its discussion choice, its use of simile and metaphor, and its volta.
Give-and-take Choice: Accept a look at the words used to describe love. What do those words mean? What are their connotations? Here's a brief listing: "soul," "ideal grace," "tranquility need," "dominicus and candle-light," "strive for right," "passion," "childhood's religion," "the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life," "God," "beloved thee better after death."
These words and phrases all behave positive connotations, and many of them evoke images of warmth, prophylactic, and the hearth. Even phrases that are morose, such as "lost saints" and "death," are used as contrasts to further highlight the speaker'due south wholehearted rejoicing of love. This word option suggests an endless, chivalrous, holistic, all-consuming dearest.
Simile and Metaphor: Similes and metaphors are comparison statements, and the poem routinely compares love to dissimilar objects and ideas. Hither'south a list of those comparisons:
The speaker loves thee:
- To the depths of her soul.
- By sun and candle low-cal—by day and night.
- As men strive to exercise the right thing (freely).
- As men plough from praise (purely).
- With the passion of both grief and faith.
- With the breath, smiles, and tears of her entire life.
- Now in life, and peradventure even more than after death.
The speaker's honey seems to have infinite reach, flooding every attribute of her life. It consumes her soul, her everyday activities, her every emotion, her sense of justice and humility, and perhaps her afterlife, too. For the speaker, this love is not but an emotion, an action, or an credo: information technology'south her existence.
Volta: The volta of a sonnet occurs in the verse form'due south center. In this case, the volta is the lines "I love thee freely, as men strive for right. / I love thee purely, equally they turn from praise."
What surprising, unexpected comparisons! To the speaker, love is freedom and the search for a greater good; it is also as pure as humility. Past comparison love to other concepts, the speaker reinforces the fact that love isn't only an credo, information technology's an ideal that she strives for in every word, thought, and action.
Themes in Literature: A Hierarchy of Ideas
"Theme" is part of a broader bureaucracy of ideas. While the theme of a story encompasses its key ideas, the author also expresses these ideas through different devices.
You may have heard of some of these devices: motif, moral, topic, etc. What is motif vs theme? What is theme vs moral? These ideas collaborate with each other in different means, which we've mapped out beneath.
Theme vs Topic
The "topic" of a slice of literature answers the question: What is this slice about? In other words, "topic" is what actually happens in the story or poem.
You'll notice a lot of overlap between topic and theme examples. Love, for instance, is both the topic and the theme of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem "How Practice I Love Thee."
The departure betwixt theme vs topic is: topic describes the surface level content matter of the piece, whereas theme encompasses the work'due south apparent argument most the topic.
Topic describes the surface level content matter of the piece, whereas theme encompasses the work'south credible argument about the topic.
So, the topic of Browning's poem is love, while the theme is the speaker's conventionalities that her love is countless, pure, and all-consuming.
Additionally, the topic of a piece of literature is definitive, whereas the theme of a story or poem is interpretive. Every reader can agree on the topic, but many readers will take different interpretations of the theme. If the theme weren't open-ended, it would merely exist a topic.
Theme vs Motif
A motif is an idea that occurs throughout a literary work. Call up of the motif as a facet of the theme: information technology explains, expands, and contributes to themes in literature. Motif develops a central idea without being the cardinal idea itself.
Motif develops a central thought without beingness the cardinal idea itself.
In Animal Farm, for instance, nosotros see motif when Napoleon the pig starts walking like a human being. This represents the corrupting force of power, because Napoleon has become as much of a despot as Mr. Jones, the previous possessor of the subcontract. Napoleon's anthropomorphization is not the only case of power and corruption, simply it is a compelling motif about the dangers of unchecked power.
Theme vs Moral
The moral of a story refers to the story'due south bulletin or takeaway. What can we learn from thinking well-nigh a specific piece of literature?
The moral is interpreted from the theme of a story or verse form. Like theme, there is no single correct estimation of a story'due south moral: the reader is left to decide how to interpret the story'due south significant and message.
For example, in Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," the theme is loneliness, but the moral isn't quite so articulate—that's for the reader to decide. My interpretation is that we should be much more than sympathetic towards the lonely, since loneliness is a quiet affliction that many alone people cannot limited.
Swell literature does non tell usa what to remember, it gives us stories to recollect nigh.
However, my interpretation could be miles away from yours, and that's wonderful! Great literature does non tell the states what to think, it gives us stories to think virtually, and the more nosotros discuss our thoughts and interpretations, the more we learn from each other.
Why Themes in Literature Matter
The theme of a story affects everything else: the decisions that characters make, the mood that words and images build, the moral that readers interpret, etc. Recognizing how writers utilize diverse themes in literature will help y'all craft stronger, more nuanced works of prose and poetry.
"To produce a mighty book, you lot must choose a mighty theme." —Herman Melville
Should I Determine the Theme of a Story in Advance?
You can, though of course it depends on the actual story yous desire to tell. Some writers certainly start with a theme. You might decide you want to write a story about themes like love, family, justice, gender roles, the surroundings, or the pursuit of revenge.
From in that location, y'all tin build everything else: plot points, characters, conflicts, etc. Examining themes in literature can aid y'all generate some stiff story ideas!
Notwithstanding, theme is not the only way to approach a creative writing project. Some writers start with plot, others with grapheme, others with conflicts, and yet others with only a vague notion of what the story might be about. Yous might non fifty-fifty realize the themes in your work until after y'all finish writing it.
And so, experiment with ideas and attempt different ways of writing.Y'all don't think about the theme of a story right abroad—but definitely give it some thought when yous start revising your piece of work!
Develop Cracking Themes at Writers.com
Equally writers, it's hard to know how our work will exist viewed and interpreted. Writing in a community can help. Whether you join our Facebook grouping or enroll in one of our upcoming courses, nosotros have the tools and resources to sharpen your writing.
Take your next online writing grade with our honour-winning instructors!
Browse our upcoming courses by category:
- Online Fiction Writing Courses
- Online Novel Writing Courses
- Online Brusque Story Writing Courses
- Online Stage and Broadcast Writing Courses
- Online Creative Nonfiction Writing Courses
- Online Personal Essay Writing Courses
- Online Memoir Writing Courses
- Online Poetry Writing Courses
- Online Lifestyle and Wellness Writing Courses
Source: https://writers.com/common-themes-in-literature
0 Response to "Can Night Be a Theme in Art and Literature"
Post a Comment