The following question references the novel The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.

According to the Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, “the theme of a work is not its subject but rather its central idea, which may be stated directly or indirectly. For example, the theme of Othello is jealousy.”

There could be one or more themes in a story. To understand the idea, one could ask, what is the story trying to talk about, or what is/are the underlying message/s or concept/s or idea/s that is/are being put forward or portrayed through various characters and instances?

In light of this, let us examine each statement carefully.

Dorothy is a dreamer who wants to see other places

This statement essentially talks about the character, Dorothy, and not the idea of the story.

Bilbo goes on a journey and becomes a hero

This statement talks about what happens with one of the characters of the text, or the story of the character, which is also not the theme, as it is hard to say what the central idea of the story could be.

The story takes place in a dark, dense forest

This is clearly the setting of the story, describing the location where the story unfolds.

Good always triumphs over evil in the end

This statement could be the central idea of a story, or its underlying message, and can be portrayed in numerous ways. Hence, this could be an example of a theme for a story.

Note: However, it is important to note that the moral of the story isn’t necessarily its theme. The theme could very be any other idea regardless of whether that is also the moral of the story.

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