The Difference between Subject and Theme

The story's topic itself serves as the subject. One or two words can sum up a subject, such as love, war, growing up, heroism, fear, etc.

An illustration of a man and woman reading books

A story's theme, on the other hand, is the central or main idea. A story's theme is not the same as its subject. A theme reveals something about the subject, and it is always a statement; it must always be expressed in at least one sentence. When reading a literary text, the reader must consider all of the story's events and then infer or guess the meaning of the entire story for themselves.

In Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, for example, the theme can be stated as 'Love is more powerful than family loyalty.'

Subjects in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House

Morality. √1. A songbird must have a clean beak to chirp with/ a parent must uphold morality for the sake of bringing up their children with expected standards of morality. √1.
Family love. √1. (Nora loves her husband and children) She refers to her children fondly/ as little sweet darlings/ she says ‘I will do anything to please Torvald.’ √1.
Romance. √1. Helmer calls Nora “my darling”. /Christine and Krogstad refer to themselves as shipwrecked people who can join forces/ Christine and Krogstad are on first-name terms. √1.
Secrecy/ falsehood/ deceit/ hypocrisy. √1. Nora conceals information from Helmer/by forging the signature/ taking the loan without Helmer’s knowledge. (The words secret, deception, and hypocrite do not score)
Betrayal: √1. Helmer fails Nora by abandoning her in her time of need when she is threatened by Krogstad. √1. / Christine betrays Nora by insisting that Helmer should know the truth about the loan/ Christine abandons Krogstad for a richer man. √1
Marriage: √1. Helmer and Nora are a couple (penalise couples)/ Krogstad and Christine intend to marry. √1
Gender bias/ male chauvinism/ gender discrimination/ femininity: √1. A woman is not allowed to take a loan without her husband’s approval. √1
Family conflict/ disagreement/ separation. √1. Nora leaves her husband.
Friendship. Christine volunteers to help Nora have the letter withdrawn from the letterbox by Krogstad/ Christine assists Nora to mend the dress/ Nora helps Christine to secure a job/ Christine visits Nora.
Religion: “I do not know exactly what religion is.”
Change
Role of women
Parental responsibility
Selflessness/ self-sacrifice
Blackmail
Fear

What are some of the themes that can be derived from the aforementioned topics or subjects?

Theme Reveals the Truth About Human Behaviour

A theme reveals an aspect of human behaviour. That truth is frequently discovered by the writer through experience or perhaps while writing.

As an example,

It is a mistake to marry solely for love in certain circumstances.

Death becomes less terrifying as one grows older.

The theme is rarely stated directly in literary texts. The author can have the characters in the story act out the idea for the readers. The author hopes that by making the readers feel the character's experiences, the truth will come to light as we read a literary work. When a story's theme seems new and true to us, we say, 'Yes, I see what the writer means, but I hadn't quite thought of it that way before.' Alternatively, 'I hadn't felt quite so strongly about it before.' This demonstrates that we have scratched the surface of human behaviour and observed what the author wishes us to recognise about our lives. Although a theme is usually unseen and unspoken, it can be the most powerful element in a story. A strong theme can be the reason that a story touches our hearts and stays with us.

Theme: a conflict Between What we Ought to be and what is.

A story's theme can be viewed as a reflection of the fundamental conflict in human experience. For example, in the previous era, literary works were widely regarded as teaching morality, or the right and wrong ways to behave. In those days, one could usually count on a wicked character in the story being punished and a virtuous character being rewarded. That is no longer the case, as contemporary fiction is no longer regarded as a means of teaching morality. Nonetheless, the conflict between what we know would be a perfect world and what is in a disorderly, imperfect world remains at the heart of literature.

Thinking Critically About Themes in Literary Texts

It is sometimes prudent to question the writer's presentation of a theme. Readers must determine whether the author is presenting the truth about life or is simply forcing us as readers to accept a false view of life. A wise reader forms an opinion about the writer's worldview and does not accept a story's theme as valid simply because it is printed. As a reader of the literary text, you should ponder the following questions:

Is the story's point of view overly romantic?
Is it too pessimistic?
Is it overly simplistic?
Is it a closed mind?
Is the writer an overzealous salesperson attempting to persuade the reader to buy a false or shoddy idea?
Is the author fabricating violent incidents in order to sell the story and make money?

Most fiction texts are lacking in this regard; they are printed on smooth, shiny surfaces but have little depth. Therefore, a wise reader should learn to make their own judgement about the literary texts they are reading, just like we do with the movies we usually watch.

Here are some pointers for identifying and stating a theme:

1. One of the best ways to determine a literary work's topic is to question how the protagonist develops during the novel. What this character learns about life is frequently the truth that the writer wishes to impart to the reader.

2. Because conflict is so important to most writing, how the conflict is resolved provides an excellent pointer to theme.

3. Another technique to uncover the topic is to consider the title of a work, which frequently has a specific importance and hints at the theme.

4. To express a theme, we must utilise at least one complete sentence. In other words, a theme must be a statement about the subject of the work, not a phrase like "the rewards of old age." (You can sometimes rephrase this type of phrase to construct a sentence: "Old age can be a time of great satisfaction.")

5. Keep in mind that a theme is not the same as a moral, which is a rule of behaviour. We should question ourselves, "What does this work reveal?" rather than "What does this work teach?" when determining theme. As a result, it's a mistake to simplify a theme (at least a serious writer's theme) to a well-known adage or cliché, such as "Crime doesn't pay." A theme is typically a far more intricate and unique insight about life.

6. A theme should be expressed as a generalisation about life or human nature rather than referring to specific characters or events in the work. Because individuals all over the world share common aspirations, interests, and experiences, themes are frequently universal—that is, they apply to everyone everywhere. We've all experienced love and loss, hopes and dreams destroyed.

7. There is no single correct way to express a literary work's idea. If you have thirty-five pupils in your English class, there will most likely be thirty-five different ways to express a story's key idea in words. Your students may possibly have various thoughts regarding the story's main theme. Indeed, if a tale or work of literature is rich and nuanced, it may contain multiple themes.

Finally, nearly every story is about a discovery. Facts are usually discovered at the end of an action. In describing a character's discovery , a writer wants to make us, the readers, discover something too; in fact, in the moment of discovery, we may grasp the theme or the whole meaning of the story. A discovery occurs when a character sees, experiences, or does something that causes a sudden intense feeling, similar to a light turning on. This discovery usually has a significant impact on the character.