A thematic statement is a simple yet powerful message an author is trying to convey in their work.
Learn what a thematic statement is in simple terms and how to create one. Get clear theme statement examples on love, identity, and trust.
What is a theme?
A theme is a message or main idea that the writer wants the reader to remember after reading his/her work. Most stories, plays, novels, and poems have more than one theme. Some works, like mysteries, might be intended primarily for entertainment and not have a clear theme.
What is a Thematic Statement?
A thematic statement is a complete sentence (or two) that express a theme. A thematic statement could serve as a thesis in a thematic essay.
A thematic statement is an overall message from the story in the form of a short sentence. Some might boil it down to the big idea of a particular text, whether that’s a poem, short story, or novel.
For example:
- Love is the glue that binds the Universe together.
- There is no such thing as true love.
- Maternal love is the most powerful of all types of love.
A thematic statement says something specific about the nature of life or the human condition, which the novel argues is true.
Mastering your Thematic Statement can give your novel heart, a deeper meaning, and resonance.
Some Good Examples:
- Topic: Love
- Theme: Unconditional love withstands any obstacle.
- Topic: Hope
- Theme: Hope can help a person to survive any dark time.
- Topic: Courage
- Theme: It is important to have courage to express your individuality.
- Topic: Jealousy
- Theme: Jealousy can cause lasting damage to individuals and relationships.
To teach how to write strong thematic statements, a formula is helpful: Topic + Message = Thematic Statement. With this, you can use textual evidence to ground their thematic statements.
Purpose of Thematic Statement
The thematic statement is a summary of the whole work. It aims to give readers an idea about what this literary piece will be like before they read it in full while also giving insight into its main message and theme.
It provides some background information on how exactly the writer has constructed their text so that you can understand where I’m coming from with my argumentation when reading aloud later at your destination.
Thematic Statement vs. Theme
Theme and thematic statement are two fundamental concepts in literature.
The theme is the message a writer wants to convey through their work, while the thematic statement provides context for understanding what this means (i.e., it tells you about the theme).
A theme is a thought or idea that the writer wants to say. A thematic statement tells you what that theme is or gives you more info about it if you did not know it already. It might have more than one theme, but there’s always something behind those themes without it being said outright.
That means don’t just read the surface-level information!
How to Write a Theme Statement
1. Understand that a theme topic is NOT a theme statement.
- Examples of Theme Topics: Love, Justice/Injustice, Family, Struggle, the American Dream, Wealth, Inhumanity
- Examples of Themes: People risk their own identity to find love; Power corrupts. humanity; Without empathy, there can be no justice.
2. Create a list of theme topics that can be supported with evidence from the text and choose ONE topic that is best demonstrated by the text.
- Hint: The great thing about theme is that there can be multiple theme topics that can be supported by the evidence.
3.Write a sentence about what the author believes about that topic.
- Example: In Finding Nemo, the author believes that a person should learn how to trust themselves and others.
- Hint: Don’t use character names or specific details…keep it universal by using “a person” or “one” instead!
- Hint: Don’t be too vague! “Family is important” is not a theme statement, but “One should put family before all others” is a theme statement.
4.Cross out “the author believes that” and revise the sentence.
- Example: In Finding Nemo, the author believes that a person should learn how to trust themselves and others.
- Theme Statement: A person should learn how to trust themselves and others.
Theme Statement Examples
Theme statements come in all different shapes and sizes. And there is a plethora of theme topics you might find in stories. To create a perfect theme statement, you combine that overarching theme topic with a message the author is making.
Check out a few different examples:
- Love and friendship always triumph over evil.
- Survival is not enough without control over your own destiny.
- Sexist attitudes have consequences.
- Humans are not fixed personalities but a set of constantly changing contradictions.
- Valuing wealth over family will lead to misery.
- Isolation leads to madness.
- No matter people’s culture we are all the same at heart.
- True love is built over time and shared experience.
- The family we choose can be more loyal than those we are born with.
- Love taken to extremes can become dangerous.
- Having a true friend can help you survive the worst atrocities.
- Only by releasing judgement of others can we find inner peace.
Thematic Statements Example for Love
- Love taken to extremes can become dangerous.
- There is only one love in life, and it must be cherished.
- Loving yourself, despite your flaws, can lead to a happier life.
- Love is a powerful force that should not be taken for granted.
- Deep love can protect us even after they leave this Earth.
- Love can help us to be our best selves.
- Love comes in all shapes and forms; it should be embraced rather than denied.
- Successful relationships can be built on love, loyalty, and trust.
- Love has the power to alter us in positive and negative ways.
- True love is the only thing that matters in life, and it starts with loving oneself.
Thematic Statement Examples for Identity
- Finding acceptance in yourself leads others to accept you as well.
- Staying true to yourself can lead to possibilities in life you didn’t expect.
- It takes faith in yourself to thrive in a harsh world.
- Faith in yourself and your ability is a scary but essential lesson to learn.
- Your identity isn’t static but grows with you as you discover more about yourself.
Thematic statements examples for Change
- Change is constant and inevitable; people should embrace it rather than fear it.
- Adapting to change is the most powerful thing anyone can do.
- Change is something that should be embraced; it creates new opportunities and enhances growth.
- Life can never stay the same, it must be embraced, not feared.
- Resisting change leads to stagnation; embracing it leads to growth.
Thematic Statements Example for Fear
- Fear is something more dangerous than the danger itself.
- Fear is nothing more than just a state of mind.
- The biggest thing to fear about is fear itself.
- You can’t stop being afraid just by pretending everything that scars you isn’t there?
- No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.
Thematic statements Example for life
- Life is what truly matters, not what people leave behind but how they have lived.
- Life is transient, so every day should be cherished and made the best out of.
- The brevity of life is what makes it special; no need to fear death.
- Life is fleeting and people should be living it while they still have the chance.
- Life is what people make it, regardless of its challenges.
Thematic Statements Example for Racism
- Racism is often held under the pretext of “us vs. them.”
- In order for racism to exist, there must be oppression and hostility in power.
- Societies utilize racism to systematically repress a culture and gain an advantage (social, political, or economic) over that population.
- Racism is being replaced by fear; it is driven less by belief in superiority but fear in inferiority.
- When political power is defined by racism, control and influence are inevitably derived from segregation, oppression, and malevolence.
Thematic Statements Example for friendships
- A true friend is someone who stands by you in adversity.
- Friends can come and go, but family will always be there for you.
- The quality of a friendship is measured in the time and effort put into it.
- A true friend is someone who accepts you for who you are.
- Genuine friendships are hard to find; it’s worth the wait.