Theme Statement Examples
Introduction
From the time students begin reading, they are encouraged to engage in processes that deepen their comprehension and ability to make meaning of the texts they read.
Whether students are reading informational or literary works, understanding how to write a theme statement is critical.
Understanding a theme is a building block for writing longer literary analyses, rhetorical analyses, synthetization, and other tasks that require deep cognition and critical thinking.
Themes are enduring concepts or notions echoed in texts. The reader must determine what life lessons or takeaways the author aims to communicate.
This can be challenging for students as they read more rigorous texts, so working with simpler and shorter texts can often be a good starting point for warming up and developing this skill.
As readers showcase their skills in analysis, they also begin with the process of writing their ideas.
A theme statement is a sentence that communicates the source and the theme that the author aims to communicate in the story, passage, etc. Another way of thinking about this is by considering what the author believes and hopes to impart on readers or listeners.
Definition
A theme statement is a sentence that communicates the source and the theme, or what the author believes and hopes to impart on readers or listeners.
Examples
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a popular text for children. In this story, a young boy continuously returns to a tree, which bears many human characteristics and befriends the boy, throughout his lifetime until the time the boy grows into an elderly man.
A theme statement about this text could be:
In The Giving Tree, friendship can last a lifetime.
A second theme statement might be:
In The Giving Tree, people can ask a great deal of others.
In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, a young man named Ponyboy struggles with conflict between two different groups of different statuses within his town. The story is a coming-of-age tale that many enjoy in middle school.,
A theme statement about this text could be:
In The Outsiders, as a person grows, they become more confident in their identity.
As another option, a writer could state:
In The Outsiders, conflicts between groups tend to endure if issues are not resolved.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a story about a young man named Holden Caulfield who struggles to connect with others at his private school in New England. At home, in New York City, he also struggles to make and maintain friendships.
One theme statement for this text could be:
In Catcher in the Rye, a person can feel isolated no matter what setting they are in.
As an additional option:
In Catcher in the Rye, it’s important to realize that it can be hard to understand what someone is going through.
In all of these examples, the theme statement is general. It does not reference particular characters or events and instead focuses on universal truths that people can identify with. In addition, the theme statement is broad and transferable, which means the theme itself could be applied to other works. This strengthens the theme statement.
Theme statements can be general. Here are some others that may be universally understood:
- friendship can help both an individual and a group
- collaboration is a necessary part of life
- it is challenging to know what someone may be feeling
- people who desire to be successful will often work hard to get what they want
- reflection is a valuable tool for growth
- without honesty, it is hard to make progress toward a goal
Conclusion
Tips for Writing Theme Statements
- Make a list of all of the topics that appear in the story. From this list, identify key life lessons or ideas that the author aims to teach people about.
- Revise your theme statement many times. You can improve the language you use and aim for greater clarity and specificity.
- Share your theme statement with others. Through collaboration, you can get feedback and test the quality and clarity of your theme statement.
This is a critical skill for elementary, middle, high school learners and beyond! Being able to understand a work and its intended message is an important part of analyzing and digesting literature.