In order to illuminate the human condition through story, the writer should burrow deep into his own values and beliefs, because it is those values and beliefs that drive his thoughts and behaviors.   By identifying what matters to him, he is able to give the story profundity, quality and meaning. Whether the writer intends to weave theme through the narrative or not, when he first starts out, he must make his story about something. He might start by first coming up with a theme upon which he desires to create his story, or he may write the story first and identify the theme later, (before revision, of course), however; regardless of the road he takes, he must choose one if his goal is to engage the reader in a meaningful manner. While the story’s plot should excite the reader, it is the theme that ties together the universal human connection between story and reader.

Some questions the writer might ask himself before, during or after he writes his first draft could include the following:   What makes me feel happy or sad, or angry?  What drives me?  Are people inherently good , or evil?   Do we become who we are through genetics or through the environment in which we grow up?  What is it that breaks my heart in society,  or in the world?  What do I think is the true meaning of life, the reason we are really here? 

By asking ourselves these questions, we recognize what matters to us, and likewise, what matters to our readers. While some themes are monosyllabic, meaning they come from one word, such as love, death, friendship, belonging, family, loss, betrayal, or sacrifice, other themes can be implied.  Some examples of these types of implied themes include,  good verses evil (William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, George Orwell’s, Animal Farm) , money can’t buy happiness (F.Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby) , crime does not pay (James Bond movies) , be careful what you wish for (Pinocchio), perseverance pays off (Rocky), or no man is a failure who has friends (borrowed from Mark Twain, by Frank Capra’s Its a Wonderful Life).

As the underlying thread that ties together the plot with the characters, descriptions, and settings, the theme relates the story to real life. Through the theme of the story, writers connect their readers universally to the point the writer is trying to make. However, the writer must hide his theme in the story’s background, to allow his readers to draw their own conclusions, rather than make them feel they have been preached to or lectured. 

Moreover, through the use of symbolism, motifs and characters, writers build the theme as a way to reflect who they are and what they value and believe in, to the reader.  Consequently, that theme resonates with the reader because what matters to the writer usually matters to or affects the reader as well.  However, as stated previously, the writer must do this subtly because the reader does not want the writer to convince her to think the way he does, or feel the way he does, but to come to her own conclusions.

Take for instance, one of my favorite novels; F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, in which Fitzgerald uses the famous green light as a symbol to represent the American dream (the achievement of happiness through wealth), which Jay Gatsby strives to acquire, yet never does. Further, the green light, combined with Fitzgerald’s beloved character, Daisy, personifies the love Gatsby is never able to attain, for which he ultimately makes the biggest sacrifice. 

Without theme, the story is like a meal with no flavor, or a rainbow without color. Through the character’s behaviors, tied to the symbols and motifs in the story, the writer discloses the main point of the story. 

In the end, a writer writes from what he feels in his heart, or from his own values and beliefs, and it is from digging deep and asking questions of himself, that he is able to convey his message.  Ultimately, this process enables theme to work its magic and it is from that magic that readers draw emotion, a lesson, or change, and that, at the end of the day, is the whole point.