Student Question

Can you provide examples of stories without a theme?

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It is challenging to find stories without a theme, as most narratives, even if seemingly random, convey some underlying message. For instance, "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid initially appears as a jumble of thoughts but actually offers guidelines for Jamaican women. Similarly, while Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot may seem plotless, its theme of existential waiting is evident. Flash fiction might appear themeless, but often the theme is subtle or difficult to discern.

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I'm with #3 on this one.  Even works which are rambling and unfocused and reactionary (as opposed to focused and intense and reflective, let's say) generally have a point, at least, if not a theme.  The suggestion given by ask996 is a good one.  "Girl" looks like just a lot of random thoughts jammed together in a paragraph; however, a closer examination reveals a set of guidelines for being a successful and happy Jamaican woman.  I would suggest that works which really do not have anything to offer are not well recognized or well known because they're not read with any regularity nor do they create a committed readership such as the great works of literature do. 

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I have to respectfully disagree with the play Waiting for Godot being suggested here as having no theme.  The fact that the two men spend the entire play waiting for...

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someone to come and tell them what to do makes the play almost "plot-less" (or action-less) but the act of waiting rather than taking action to create something for themselves seems an obvious theme, especially in connection the ideas of exisitentialism with which Beckett is so often associated.

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Flash fiction or short-short stories might be your best option if you are searching for stories with no (or no easily) discernible theme. As these pieces of prose are reactions to events that have already transpired outside of the story the theme might be missing or more difficulty to find. Jamaica Kincaid’s short, short, “Girl,” might be a good place to start. The following is a link where you can read it online.

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/Girl/story.asp

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