The theme of a work of literature is its central idea or underlying message. A

The theme of a work of literature is its central idea or underlying statement. The elements of a story (diction, plot, imagery, etc.) support and build on each other to advance and develop the text’s theme. Literary works can have more than one theme.

A common misconception is that themes can be stated as a single word or phrase, such as “the American Dream” for The Great Gatsby. However, this is a topic, not a theme; a proper theme must also convey an idea relating to the topic, such as “the impossibility of attaining the American dream.”

Theme comes from the Greek word thema, meaning “proposition, subject, deposit,” literally “something set down,” from tithenai, meaning “to place.”

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