A story’s theme could be defined as the story’s main idea or even as the meaning of the story. Getting at the theme of a story can be difficult, not least because there may be multiple themes and disagreement about which theme is most important. When trying to understand the theme or themes of a story, it can be useful to try to boil it down to a short statement. This can be a frustrating activity but also a very productive one. Looking at Joyce’s “Araby,” you might try to sum up the theme and come up with the following: “Being young can be difficult.” Not bad, but you know you can do better. You look more closely at the story to see what it says is difficult about being young, and you write, “Young love can be painful.” You’re getting closer. You think more about the end of the story and the connection between the bazaar and the narrator’s crush on Mangan’s sister, and finally you write, “Being stripped of your naïve notions about love can be a painful process.” This is a completely viable statement of the story’s theme.
"Key Components of Short Stories" by Travis Rozier and Margaret Sullivan from Beyond the Pages: An Introduction to Literature Copyright © 2024 by Claire Carly-Miles, Sarah LeMire, Kathy Christie Anders, Nicole Hagstrom-Schmidt, R. Paul Cooper, and Matt McKinney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
"What is a Theme in Literature?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers. Authored by: OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5KZcdAmWLw . License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
"How to Find a Theme." Authored by: D4Darious. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIuKNVny9cM. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License