Determine the themes of short stories
key notes:
🎯 A theme is a key message or lesson communicated in a story, poem or play.
🎯 Usually, works of literature don’t openly state their themes. To find the theme or lesson of a story, look at the main events, the characters and the characters’ goals. Use these story elements to make inferences, or educated guesses. Why did the characters act the way they did? How did they grow or change?
🎯 Then, think about how your inferences apply to the wider world. The story might suggest an observation about people in general. Or, it might give a lesson you can use in your own life. These ideas and morals are themes of the story. When you identify a theme or lesson, you should be able to support it with details from the story.
Learn with an example
The Unhappy Princess
Once there was a king who had a daughter named Princess Araminta. He
loved her greatly, and he wanted to make her happy more than anything in
the world.
He bought her a fine steed, but she didn’t like to ride. He bought her
beautiful and expensive clothing, but Araminta said that the gold
embroidery scratched at her neck. He bought a grand palace in the
mountains to be their summer home, but Araminta thought the empty
stone hallways felt draughty and lonely.
The king couldn’t understand. He’d given his daughter everything that made
him happy—a fine horse, nice clothes and a beautiful palace.
‘What else could you possibly want?’ he asked her. Araminta didn’t have an
answer for him because she didn’t know.
One day, she was wandering near a stream by herself, watching the little
silver fish dart around in the water. She saw an abandoned fishing rod
leaning against a tree. Impulsively, she hooked a worm to the hook and
then cast the fishing line into the water.
She sat there on a rock by the stream for hours as she fished, enjoying the
warm sunshine on her skin. When she caught a trout, she shouted with joy.
‘Father, would you buy me a fishing rod?’ Araminta asked her father later
that day.
‘Well, that’s easy enough. But I don’t understand,’ the king said. ‘How could
a fishing rod possibly make you happy?’
Araminta simply smiled. ‘You don’t have to understand,’ she said.
Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
- Fishing is more relaxing than horse riding.
- Different things make different people happy.
Think about the events in the story and make an inference:
What makes the king happy isn’t necessarily what makes Princess Araminta happy.
Apply to the wider world to find a theme:
Different things make different people happy.
Read the following story.
The Ride Home
As the school bus chugged away, Spiro walked slowly up the quiet street.
His neighbor, Dominic, stopped to wait for him.
‘Hey, Spiro. How was your first week?’
Awful, Spiro thought, staring ahead. ‘It was okay. I’m pretty tired,’ he said.
He wanted to say that he missed his old home and his old friends.
‘Really? Are you sick or something?’ asked Dominic.
‘Yeah, actually. I think the bus is making me sick. I used to ride my bike to
school,’ said Spiro.
‘Oh. Did you know there’s a bike trail two streets over?’ asked Dominic.
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. It’s like fifty kilometers long. I’ve biked the whole thing a few times.
Maybe if you feel better later, I can show you.’
Spiro really just wanted to sleep the afternoon away, but Dominic seemed
friendly. ‘Sure,’ Spiro said. ‘Can I stop by around five?’
‘Perfect,’ Dominic said. ‘See you then!’ He went inside his house.
At his own home, Spiro found his bike in the garage among all the boxes of
unpacked stuff. His bike reminded him that just a few weeks ago he’d been
riding around his old neighborhood with his old friends.
At five o’clock, Spiro went next door. Dominic was already outside with
another boy and a girl when Spiro arrived. Dominic introduced them and
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said that they wanted to go for a ride, too.
As he pedaled alongside the others, the wind in his face, Spiro realized that
he was feeling okay for the first time since moving.
Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
- Be open to new friendships.
- No one likes a complainer.
Think about the events in the story and make an inference:
Spiro overcomes his bad mood by seizing an opportunity to make a new friend.
Apply to the wider world to find a theme:
Be open to new friendships.
Let’s practice!
Read the following story.
One Bright Idea
I’ve been working on a present for my dad, Danielle told her friend, Lina. She was holding a colourful knitted strip.
‘Cool!’ Lina said. ‘What is it?’
‘A bookmark,’ Danielle said. ‘Can’t you tell?’ Lina thought it looked a little too thick to put in a book.
Danielle was just learning to knit, and her creations were not very practical. Lina recalled the misshapen duck booties Danielle had knit for her baby cousin. Lina hoped the baby never had to wear them.
Now Danielle picked up a big bag of yarn. She beamed at Lina and patted the floor next to her. ‘Come and pick out your colours!’ she said.
Lina sat down. ‘My colours?’
‘I’m going to knit you a jumper for your birthday,’ said Danielle. ‘I bought all this yarn. I was thinking shades of blue. Maybe some yellow?’
‘That is so sweet of you. But that’s too much work,’ said Lina. The thought of Danielle spending so much time on something she would never wear almost broke her heart.
‘It’s no problem. You’re my best friend. And I love knitting,’ said Danielle.
Lina took a deep breath. ‘Danielle, I don’t want a jumper.’ There, she had said it. ‘Those colours are so pretty, though. Maybe you could make me something to decorate my room?’
‘A decoration?’ Danielle echoed. Lina hoped she wasn’t upset.
‘Have you ever seen those pictures online of lampshades wrapped in yarn?’ Lina went on. ‘I’ve always thought they look so cool, but I’m not crafty enough to make one myself.’
‘Oh! I know what you’re talking about!’ Danielle said in excitement. ‘I could do blue yarn at the bottom, then start adding some yellow in the middle . . . ‘
As Danielle began to plan excitedly, Lina breathed a sigh of relief. Now she would be getting a birthday present that reminded her of her best friend—and one that she would be excited to use.