The theme is shaped by the character, setting, and plot of the story. The setting causes conflict and influences the main character's thoughts, feelings, and actions. (ex) Jonas lives in a society where every aspect of a person's life is controlled. This causes anxiety (conflict) for Jonas.
In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail because he and others were protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. A court had ordered that King could not hold protests in Birmingham.