A young book reader.
When you write a book report, you usually have to talk about the book's theme. A book's theme is the main idea of the story. Here is how to find it.

Theme Vs. Plot, Moral And Subject

The theme is not the same as the plot, moral or subject. The plot is the series of events that happen. The moral is the lesson that the reader should learn. The subject is what the story is about in general.

The theme is different from all three. It is an opinion on the subject. You can find out what the theme is based on the plot. For example, let's look at the story "The Three Little Pigs."

The story's plot is about three pigs and a wolf who tries to eat them. Two of the pigs are lazy. They built their houses out of things like straw and sticks. The wolf destroys their homes. The pigs run to the third pig's house. The third pig is a hard worker who built his house out of brick. The house keeps the pigs safe. The theme of this story is hard work and making smart choices.

In "The Three Little Pigs," the third pig builds a house of bricks.
When you finish reading a story, try to explain it in one word. In the case of "The Three Little Pigs," this word could be preparation. Use that word in a complete thought, like: "Making smart choices requires planning and preparation."

Symbolism And Theme

Sometimes a character or an object in a story is a symbol. That symbol might hint at a theme. One good example is the book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." It is about an immigrant family in New York City. Immigrants are people who move from their country to live in another one.

The main character is a girl named Francine. A tree grows up through the sidewalk in front of her apartment. It survives in tough surroundings. The tree is a symbol of her immigrant community. The theme is staying strong in tough times.

Major And Minor Themes

An idea might be repeated many times. In this case, it's called a major theme. A minor theme is an idea that appears less often.

Read And Analyze The Work

Here's what to do before you try to find a story's themes. Read and understand the plot. Think about how the characters are being shown. Think about the story's main subjects, too. These subjects could be about growing up or heartbreak, for example. Think about how the author might view these subjects.

How To Identify Themes In Literature

Now it's time to find the themes. Start by writing down the story's literary elements. Some literary elements are the plot, how characters are shown, where the story is set, the language style and so on. What were the conflicts in the story? What was the most important moment in the story? Does the conflict get solved? How did the story end?

Think about the main character. How does he or she change? How does this character affect others? Figure out how the author views the characters and the choices they make. What message might the author be sending us? This message is the theme.

Your Book Report

When you find the theme of your story, you're almost ready for a book report. First, read the text again. Find examples that show the theme. You should only need a few sentences for each example.

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