Determining the Theme

Read the text below and think about what
message of the story. What lessons about life

does it teach?

Oh yeah?" Charles sneered. "If you're so great,
why don't you race me?" Lucy gasped. Charles
was the fastest runner at school. "You're on," she
gulped. That night, she began to train. Day after
day, she ran laps at the track. Charles would
watch her, laughing. His friends asked him why he
wasn't practicing, too. "Practice? I don't need
practice to win." Finally, the day of the race
dawned. Lucy met him at the track. "Good luck,"
she said. "I don't need it," he replied. They took
off. At the finish line, he turned back to look for
Lucy—but she'd already beaten him by half a lap!

What is a theme?

A story, poem, or other work of literature can
mean different things to different people. So, two
people reading the same story might describe its
theme differently or discover different themes.

Identifying a
Theme

To find the theme, ask yourself: What big
message about life is the writer trying to
tell me? Sometimes the author will directly
tell you the theme in the story.

Select the option that best tells you the
theme.

Identifying a
Theme

Often, you will need to infer the theme of a
work. That means you have to use details
from the text and your knowledge about life to
figure out the message.

Use these strategies.

Examine the title.

Consider the plot and conflict.

Analyze the characters.

Make connections.

Identifying a
Theme

Now, apply the strategies you just learned to
help you infer the theme of the following
passage.

Examine the title.

Consider the plot and conflict.

Analyze the characters.

Make connections.

Details that support theme

Remember, a theme must be based on
the details, events, and characters in the
text. To find support for a theme, you
must go back to the text.

Look for things that the characters say or
ways in which they change. These details
often contain ideas or messages that
support the theme.