Theme is what the author is trying to tell the reader. For example, the belief in the ultimate good in people, or that things are not always what they seem. The moral of the story, if you will. Though be warned there is not always a theme to every story.
Read more about this topic: Fiction Writing
Famous quotes containing the word theme:
“It seems to me that upbringings have themes. The parents set the theme, either explicitly or implicitly, and the children pick it up, sometimes accurately and sometimes not so accurately.... The theme may be “Our family has a distinguished heritage that you must live up to” or “No matter what happens, we are fortunate to be together in this lovely corner of the earth” or “We have worked hard so that you can have the opportunities we didn’t have.””
—Calvin Trillin (20th century)
“One theme links together these new proposals for family policy—the idea that the family is exceedingly durable. Changes in structure and function and individual roles are not to be confused with the collapse of the family. Families remain more important in the lives of children than other institutions. Family ties are stronger and more vital than many of us imagine in the perennial atmosphere of crisis surrounding the subject.”
—Joseph Featherstone (20th century)
“The theme of my autobiography could only be repetition.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)