Theme in Literature

The theme of a story is the

• main character

• message about life that the author expresses

• sequence of events

• short summary of what the story is about

What is a main idea?

• The main character in a story

• the message about life that an author expresses

• the sequence of events in a story

• a description of what the story is mostly about

Which of the following could be the theme of a story?

• Fear is more dangerous than any beast

• A brave young girl pretends to be a man and takes her father's place in the army

• A fear of heights

• "i'll get you , my pretty, and your little dog, too."

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

• A 35-year-old woman named Essie and her brother

• A small apartment in Marfa, Texas

• Telling the truth may cause pain, but in the end, it's better than lying.

• Essie lied to her brother about her identity for two years, but she finally decided to tell him the truth.

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

• Your past does not define you

• Returning home after a long time

• A man sees a group of people he used to work with a long time ago.

• An old man who used to be a farmer

Read the following sentence.

A toad and a lizard learn to get along while on a journey through the wilderness.

The sentence above is an example of a...

• plot

• character

• main idea

• theme

Read the following sentence.

Friendship helps people get through hard times.

The sentence above is an example of a...

• Plot

• Character

• Main idea

• Theme

Read the following sentence.

A woman risks her life to spy for the union during the Civil War.

The sentence above is an example of a

• Plot

• Character

• Main idea

• Theme