LITERARY THEMES

MIDTERMS Week 1: Literary Themes: Definition and Examples

 Why do some stories draw you back again and again? Compelling characters and
authentic dialogue play a role, as do heart-stopping action scenes and heart-rending
romances. And while the greatest stories ever written have a mix of these elements, there
is one ingredient that stands out above the rest, catapulting works from commercial
stardom to critical success and classic status: a strong literary theme.
What Is a Literary Theme?

A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel,
short story, or other literary work. The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters,
setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements.
A theme is a universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature.
In simpler stories, the theme may be a moral or message: “Don’t judge a book by its
cover.” In more complex stories, the central theme is typically a more open-ended
exploration of some fundamental aspect of society or humanity.

6 Common Themes in Literature

The best literary themes explore human nature on a universal level. It’s no surprise, then,
that multiple books may share the same central idea. Each of the following popular theme
examples reveals the human condition and offers reader’s food for thought long after the
story is finished.
Literary Theme 1: Good vs. Evil

“Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It’s a constant struggle
as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other.”
– Eric Burdon (Singer and Songwriter)
In our childhood, we all have watched serials like Shaktimaan, Sonpari, Hatim, and
Ramayana. They all are different serials but had the same theme “good versus evil” i.e.;
how goodness wins over evil, even in comics like Superman and Batman, we have
watched Superman and Batman kicking out bad guys and saving humanity.
Just like this, there is good and evil in literature too. From children’s fantasy books to
classic historical literature, this one theme has been in power throughout history.
Good and evil are ingrained in every faith, civilization, and culture. There are many
variations that literature has come up with these two binaries. ​The battle can be external,
between an underdog and a corrupted figure, while internal, within one character
choosing from two conflicting routes (good or evil) and many more.
How the theme “good and evil” presented in texts
Starting from the good, it means good-doers in the story. A good character can be defined
as a character with positive traits. A good character fundamentally believes in helping
others and fight for the benefit of others around them. A good character comes in many
forms—a superhero, an honorable lawyer, a single mother, or a teenager boy or a girl .but
regardless of their role, their list of traits is comprised of good qualities that emotionally
connect them with readers.
Whereas, Evil or villains, we may not love them in real life but they are the best part of
literature as they are the one who makes the story happen-by being horrifying, dominance
on others or refusal of social norms and make other characters active.
In addition, the theme of good versus evil may be explored through the external actions
and dialogue of the characters, or via their internal struggle to do the right thing when
faced with temptation.
Literature
During the time of William Shakespeare, it was believed that good came from god and
evil came from the devil and human beings are not responsible for their actions, it is good
and evil that were the things that were imposed on them. Like, when someone behaved
well s/he was being influenced by God and when someone behaved badly they were in
the clutches of the Devil, sometimes demon also.
With the growth of the Renaissance age, a more psychological concept of good and evil
began to come into existence. Human beings were now regarded responsible for their
own actions and the good or evil within them originated in people rather than some
outside agents.
Literary Theme 2: Love
Love is one of the most universal themes in literature, as in life. In fact, the theme of love
is underpins many of the stories we’ve discussed so far. Love can be a force for good that
inspires people to sacrifice themselves for others, or a toxic force that drives people to
madness or violence. Different flavors of love as a literary theme include:
Forbidden love. Yearning and disapproval collide in forbidden love stories, which often
find star-crossed lovers hurtling towards a tragic fate.
So what are some different love theme examples in literature?
● Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is obviously one of the first stories that comes to
mind – a tragic tale of forbidden love with terrible consequences.
● Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is another classic example, exploring the type
of love that grows slowly, where there has once been dislike and
misunderstanding.
● Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë explores love in a different light, highlighting
the ways its intensity has the power to disrupt and even destroy lives.
Family love. Stories about the love between parents and children or siblings often
explore the costs or challenges of family loyalty. Examples include: The Sound and the
Fury by William Faulkner and My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

Unrequited love. The pain of loving someone who does not return your affection is a
frequent subject in literature. Examples include: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston
Leroux and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
Friendship. The power of friendship to carry people through hard times and change
them—whether for better or worse—is an especially common theme in young adult
literature. Examples include: The Body by Stephen King (adapted into a film, Stand by
Me) and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Literary Theme 3: Redemption

Failures or tragedies set the stage for a sad story, but it doesn’t have to end this way: in
books that employ redemption as a central theme, characters see the errors of their ways
and strive to right the wrongs they’ve committed, making for an uplifting tale. Stories of
redemption often involve a reformed character sacrificing his or her freedom or life.
Examples of stories that explore redemption include A Christmas Carol by Charles
Dickens and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

Literary Theme 4: Courage and Perseverance

The triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity is a hugely popular theme in
literature, film, and real life. Characters in stories about courage endure difficult
circumstances or impossible odds, persevering through sheer determination, grit, and gall.
Examples of stories with courage as their central theme include: A Wrinkle in Time by
Madeleine L’Engle and Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.

Literary Theme 5: Coming of Age

Also known as a bildungsroman, a classic coming-of-age story follows one or more

characters during their journey of growing up into adulthood. These characters may
experience everything from a loss of innocence, to an awakening or self-awareness
before finally reaching maturity. While coming of age stories are popular in young adult
literature, they’re also common in memoirs.
Examples of books that employ coming of age as a central theme include Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and The Catcher in the
Rye by J.D. Salinger.

Literary Theme 6: Revenge

A common plot in literature, the theme of revenge sets up a conflict between one
character and his or her enemies as he or she journeys to avenge wrongs done to them. A
revenge story may depict the trials a character must endure in order to achieve their
vengeance—or, explore the human cost and moral dilemmas around pursuing vengeance
in the first place
Examples of stories that use revenge as their central theme include: The Iliad by Homer,
Carrie by Stephen King, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, and
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

3 Ways to Create Literary Themes in Your Writing

Incorporating a solid literary theme into your work won’t happen by accident, but it
doesn’t have to be incredibly difficult, either. Whether you’re composing short stories,
writing a novel, or working on a screenplay, incorporate the following literary devices to
better convey the theme of your story. As you layer them in, they should be as subtle as
the theme itself.
1. Put your characters in conflict with one another. Most themes center on
controversial ideas that are a source of conflict for human beings. By putting your
characters in conflict, you’ll create more opportunities for actions, choices, and
conversations that enable them, and your readers, to tackle your theme head on.
2. Reinforce your theme with motifs. A motif is a recurring image or detail that
highlights the central ideas in a story through repetition. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby, for example, Gatsby’s constant, lavish parties emphasize the
theme of excess, materialism, and the pursuit of the American dream. Use motif to
shed additional light on the theme and also give readers a reminder of its
existence.
3. Represent your theme with symbols. Symbols are objects, characters, or settings
that are used to represent something else (while, again, supporting the theme). A
symbol may appear one time, or be present throughout the story. In The Great
Gatsby, a green light symbolizes Gatsby’s dream for a better life with Daisy. In the
beginning of the book, he reaches toward it; in the end, it seems unreachable.
 Examples of Literary Themes
Literary Theme 1: Good vs. Evil
● The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien pits good quite clearly against evil in its
tale of hobbits, elves and men teaming up to defeat the power-hungry Sauron and
his armies of dark creatures.
● George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series explores every nuance of the
concepts of ‘good’ and ‘evil’, from the portrayal of morally grey characters
through to the battle with the story’s overarching villains, the White Walkers.
● The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis’ magnum opus, follows four siblings who
pass into an entirely new world, in which they encounter characters both good
(e.g. Aslan) and evil (e.g. the White Witch).
● Stephen King’s post-apocalyptic novel The Stand also features the light-vs-dark
dichotomy, staging a battle between good and evil through the characters of
Mother Abagail and Randall Flagg.

Literary Theme 2: Love

● Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is obviously one of the first stories that comes to
mind – a tragic tale of forbidden love with terrible consequences.
● Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is another classic example, exploring the type
of love that grows slowly, where there has once been dislike and
misunderstanding.
● Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë explores love in a different light,
highlighting the ways its intensity has the power to disrupt and even destroy lives.

Literary Theme 3: Redemption

● Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. There’s no escaping it: this is perhaps the greatest
novel ever written. As such, it’s brimful of worldly justice and almost utterly
lacking in redemption. Tolstoy, being Tolstoy, was not content to write a novel
only about a “fallen” woman, but inserts us into the political life, the feudal system
and the overarching military thrust of imperial Russia. The result is tactile,
satisfying and immensely disturbing.
● Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney. The tension between the pagan
warrior-code depicted within this bardic saga and the early Christianity of its
unknown composer is given vitality and life in Heaney’s wondrous and loamy,
visceral translation. The hero saves his people from a pair of monsters, and is a
celebrated king who in old age is finally killed by a dragon in an epic battle. Glory
in death is matched by immortality in art, in cycles and circles that are exhilarating
to discover. Here, justice is by blood.
Literary Theme 4: Courage
● Tolkien’s The Hobbit tells the tale of unlikely hero Bilbo Baggins, who musters
his courage and leaves his quiet life as a homely hobbit to undertake an important
quest.
● Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series follows the title character, whose father is the
god Poseidon, on a series of heroic adventures, fighting mythological monsters
and defeating dark forces.
● Robin Hood, a character from English folklore, is famous for his acts of heroism –
namely, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
● Beowulf, the Old English epic poem by an anonymous author, tells the story of the
title character, a hero who defeats monsters and villains in three different battles.
Literary Theme 5: Coming of Age
● The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger follows Holden Caulfield, a
sixteen-year-old boy dealing with teenage angst and rebellion in the 1950s.
● Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women chronicles four sisters’ journeys from
childhood to womanhood in 19th century Massachusetts.
● A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is the turn-of-the-century coming of
age story of Francie Nolan, who learns the realities of life while growing up in the
slums of Williamsburg.
● Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the story of teenage
Charlie navigating all the challenges that come with the time between adolescence
and adulthood.
Literary Theme 6: Revenge
● Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is by far the most iconic
play about revenge ever written. You wouldn’t think that a production that mostly
takes place inside the titular character’s head could be so riveting.
● The Iliad, by Homer. Not only is this the granddaddy of all revenge stories, it
features multiple layers of devastatingly petty infighting. Menelaus seeks revenge
against Paris for stealing his wife, Helen, and he brings the entire Greek army with
him. Then, Achilles hunts Hector down to deliver comeuppance for killing
Patroclus. Even the gods are playing the revenge game, taking sides in the fallout
of a disastrous beauty pageant. The question with The Iliad is not who is seeking
revenge, but who isn’t?
ASSESSMENT
Activity 1. Graphic Presentation
Choose any of the aforementioned examples of Literary Themes. Make a summarization
of your chosen literary work by using a graphic presentation (only in 5 forms, refer
below). You may use Canva, Word, etc. Attach it with your complete name. 20 points
each—100 in total.
NOTE: This is a sample only.

Activity 2. If you would write a story about your life, what literary theme would that be?
Explain your answer by writing a paragraph with 10 sentences. 60 points.