We all know theme is important to good storytelling. But how important is it and why? What is theme? And how can you develop a strong theme in your stories? Let's get down to business ... to defeat the Huns!

What Is Theme?

According to the New Oxford English Dictionary, theme is: 

• an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature.
  

In the realm of storytelling, theme is the overarching subject matter or core message behind the work. Theme is pervasive and should permeate every aspect of your story so that the story effectively revolves around it.

Why Is Theme Important?

Theme ties your story together, giving it a sense of cohesion. It provides depth, impact, and purpose. Without theme, readers may wonder why you wrote the story in the first place and why they should bother reading it.

What does this look like? Well, theme usually shows itself in stories in two main ways:

    1. As a simple symbol or motif
    2. As a complex moral question or statement

The symbol is often a stand-in for or illustration of a larger moral quandary that appears very early on in the story, often in the opening image or narration. The complex moral poses a challenge to the character, compelling the audience to ask how the protagonist will respond. The rest of the story revolves around the character's interaction with or struggle against this theme, and the ending gives the audience a sense of resolution by revealing how the theme impacts the character's choices.

Examples

Batman Begins

The opening image is literally the bat symbol turning into a swarm of bats, which symbolize fear. This movie is saturated to the dripping point with theme and ideas such as: you fear what you don’t understand; everyone feels fear; a symbol can become incorruptible; and of course, “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”


These symbols evolve with Bruce throughout the story, and the way he uses them document his evolution. In the end, the audience is satisfied because Bruce chooses to overcome his fears by becoming an incorruptible symbol and picking himself up to fight for what he believes is right.

The Emperor's New Groove

This story revolves around the theme of identity. As the movie poster says, "It's all about me," and the opening scenes are a sickening display of how Kusco's world has revolved around him since his birth. The symbolism is everywhere, and his identity must be literally taken away when he's turned into a llama to illustrate that the world is not all about him.


In the end, the audience is satisfied because Kuzco learns to work with others, releases the world does not revolve around him, and chooses to change his selfish ways.

Axis of Theme

Think of it this way: the beginning of your story posses a moral quandary to your character, and the end of the story shows your character's final response to it. Theme, then, is effectively the axis around with your story turns.

Resources

This is just an introduction to the concept of theme and its role in storytelling. I encourage you to study it more in-depth and learn as much as you can. Practice identifying themes in the stories you read and watch and pay attention to how they influence plot and characters. Be analytical, write things down, and learn to apply your new knowledge to your own writing.

Tip: Theme is much easier to identify in movies than it is in other forms of storytelling. So watching movies and reading guides and tutorials geared toward screenwriters is the best place to start if you're new to any of these concepts. 

To learn even more, check out these awesome resources:

The Importance of Theme in Screenwriting
John August on Theme
Exercises for Developing Theme

If you have any questions about this article, please ask below in the comments! We will do our best to answer and help you come to a deeper understanding of the subject and apply it to your storytelling.