Identifying the Theme in Steps

To identify the theme, be sure that you’ve first identified the story’s plot, the way the story uses characterization, and the primary conflict in the story.

Use these steps to determine the theme for a work:

1. Summarize the plot by writing a one-sentence description for the exposition, the conflict, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.

The story starts with a man and his daughter tenderly watching and caring for hummingbirds. Then he has a flashback of himself trying to kill various animals with his pellet gun. He eventually kills a humming bird and is so upset at the creature’s injuries that he euthanizes her. He feels total remorse and regret that he promises to never kill another living creature.

2. Identify the subject of the work.

·  Respect for living creatures

·  Self-redemption

·  Changing our self or having second chances

3. Identify the insight or truth that was learned about the subject.

• How did the protagonist change?

• What lesson did the protagonist learn from the resolution of the conflict?

Instead of feeling victorious about his shot, the main character as a young boy feels regret and remorse. He profusely apologizes to the hummingbird and consoles her. He could have left her to suffer and die on her own, which would have only resulted in a painful, slow death. Instead he kills her to alleviate her suffering and then buries her rather than leaving her body to decompose in the wild. He then promises to never to take aim with his gun at another living thing. The protagonist learns to respect life for all living creatures and realized that killing them did not make him a better person. From this day forward he decides to change.

4. State how the plot presents the primary insight or truth about the subject. People might have an idea about how things should be, but once they experience what they thought was acceptable or what they wanted, it’s very possible for them to change their minds and do something different.

5. Are there any repeating symbols or patterns in the story? No.

6. Check out the title. Does it give you any hint of the theme? Yes, it does. The title is “Second Chance’ and this supports my idea that we can change and not be the person we use to be especially since we see it as a second chance to learn from our first mistake. The hummingbird wasn’t given a second chance, but the main character was in how he chose to live his life and treat hummingbirds in the future.

7. Write one or more generalized, declarative sentences that states the theme: Who we are today is not necessarily who we will be tomorrow thanks to our ability to learn and grow from the past.

Theme Litmus Test

• Is the theme supported by evidence from the work itself?

• Are all the author’s choices of plot, character, conflict, and tone controlled by this theme?

Theme: Who we are today is not necessarily who we will be tomorrow thanks to our ability to learn and grow from the past.

THE TEST: Yes, this theme is supported by the text because in the beginning the author writes a lengthy descriptive introduction about the clear glass and red plastic humming bird feeder that hangs from his kitchen window and how on late afternoons, he and his daughter watch for hummingbirds. He pays particular detail about the nests nearby with babies in it and even “humanizes” the birds and their young by referring to them as a “family”. His daughter discloses that her dad always cry when he thinks of hummingbirds, which shows not only his fondness for the creatures, but his continued remorse and regret for the day he maimed and then killed an innocent hummingbird. Also, this scene demonstrates his continued commitment for caring and protecting the birds after all these years when he promised he would “never take aim at another living thing”. The vivid details about the hummingbird’s demise shows us how painful, and tragic the birds death was to itself and to him. The use of flashback gives us a clear indication that he has changed since it compares who he was as a youth and who he is now in the present.