One of the themes of Prosper Merimee's Carmen is Don Jose's inability, or unwillingness, to let his reason master his passionate love for the wild, ungovernable Carmen. Although he senses that Carmen may lead him to his ruin, he finds her wild, flirtatious charms irresistible, and as a result, he makes many bad choices in order to follow her. Although dangerous attractions to unsuitable mates are generally frowned on by society, this novella explores the outcome of setting aside reason for passion.

Another motif is the attraction of danger. The narrator of the story, upon meeting Don Jose, senses that he is a dangerous man but admits there is pleasure in being in such company. Even when he finds out he is the guest of the notorious bandit Jose Navarro, he behaves as a good guest and seems to enjoy being caught up in the adventure. His pleasure in a moment of living dangerously allows him to better relate to the fate of the former soldier Don Jose, and this sympathy probably helped spur him to save Don Jose from the authorities when his guide wanted to turn him in.

Another theme of Carmen is the allure of the exotic. Carmen, as a Roma or "gypsy," is an obvious symbol of this allure. Don Jose, after serving a fine meal and wine to the narrator, takes up the mandolin and sings a Basque song. The Basque origins of Don Jose introduce another somewhat mysterious Spanish culture with its own language and customs. Spain itself, with its long history of Moorish occupation from the seventh to the fifteenth centuries, was seen by many as an exotic territory itself, with its rich and diverse cultural influences. This makes Spain an attractive setting for such a novella and accounts, in part, for Carmen's enduring popularity as a story and as an opera.