GATSBY THEME

WHAT IS THEME?• In any piece of writing—a story, novel, poem, or essay

—the writer addresses a subject about the human experience such as…

•death, love, youth, learning, grief, setting goals, desire, tragedy, loneliness, faith, hope, human kindness, dependence on technology, destruction of nature, war, childhood, guilt, joy

A THEME STATEMENT GETS A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC.

IT DESCRIBES WHAT IN PARTICULAR THE WRITER IS SAYING ABOUT AN ASPECT OF BEING HUMAN OR HUMAN BEHAVIOR.

EXAMPLES OF THEMATIC STATEMENTS

• Knowledge can be used for destructive ends.

• For the benefit of society, sometimes an individual’s needs must be sacrificed.

• Sometimes we realize what we dreamed of for our future is not what’s best for us.

• Falling in love can often repair the emotional damages people have suffered in the past.

• Through loneliness we often gain a greater understanding of ourselves.

• When under pressure, people often make choices that can have long-lasting and painful consequences.

THEME IS NOT…

•a summary of the plot•about the specific characters in the story•our personal opinion of a story

WRITE THEME STATEMENTS FOR THE BOOK:

• In___(book title)___, __(author)___ expresses the idea that ….

• The central theme of_______ is the idea that people often…

Good passages to look at for theme: • pg. 110-111• End of pg. 180• First paragraph on pg. 179 (starts with “I couldn’t”)