KS3 · English

Identifying themes in a novel

Films keep returning to the same big idea, like loyalty, scene after scene. Novels do it too. Learn a two-question trick, then try it on ‘The Twisted Tree’.

English · Reading fiction

Which theme is each moment exploring?

Tap a moment, then tap the theme it explores.

Still to sort

The supernatural (0)

Things that seem to have powers.

Good versus evil (0)

What stands for good, and what might stand for evil.

Fate (0)

Lives laid out before we are born; events outside a person’s control.

Where the line is: Fate is about a path or a pull that is bigger than the person.

Being an outsider (0)

Feeling separate from others and from your former self.

9 of 9 still to sort.

A theme isn’t just something that happens. It’s a big idea the writer keeps coming back to. Here are nine moments from ‘The Twisted Tree’. Tap a moment, then tap the theme it explores, and read why.

Watch out: Some moments can be read more than one way. These are the readings this lesson backs with evidence, not the only readings possible.

What is a theme, really?

Which idea sounds most like yours?

You’ve been asked to write about the themes of a novel. Before you start, which of these is closest to what you think?

Pick the one that’s closest to what you think right now.

Any idea or event in the story counts as a theme.A text has one theme, so my job is to find the one.If a novel is about fate, its characters have no choice at all.A theme is a big idea the writer returns to again and again, in different ways, and there can be several.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

Any idea or event in the story counts as a theme.

This is a common misconception

It’s an easy trap, but a theme is not any idea or plot point. Themes are the most important ideas, the ones returned to over and over again and explored in a number of different ways. ‘Mormor waters the tree’ is a moment in the story. Fate is the big idea that moment explores.

A text has one theme, so my job is to find the one.

This is a common misconception

Themes are the big linking ideas in a text, and there may be several. ‘The Twisted Tree’ is a good example: its key themes include the supernatural, good versus evil, fate and being an outsider. You just sorted moments into all four.

If a novel is about fate, its characters have no choice at all.

This is a common misconception

Including fate doesn’t mean characters have no choice or control. Certain events and abilities are predestined, but characters still have the power to make choices that shape their journey. Martha believes you can alter the course of your life through your actions.

A theme is a big idea the writer returns to again and again, in different ways, and there can be several.

This matches the evidence

Yes. That’s a theme: an important idea or thread in a text that is explored in a number of different ways. To find one, ask what theme is important, then how and when it is explored.

Themes are the big linking ideas. They come back again and again, there can be several, and fate doesn’t cancel out choice.

One theme, two ways in

Reading one: a set pathvsReading two: a pull to act

Fate and destiny can be explored in more than one way. Both readings below can be backed with evidence from the novel.

Focus

Reading one: a set path

We are predestined to take a specific path.

Reading two: a pull to act

Fate compels people to act.

The insight

Same theme, different angle. This is what ‘explored in a number of different ways’ looks like in practice.

Character

Reading one: a set path

Martha

Reading two: a pull to act

Mormor

Moments chosen

Reading one: a set path

Martha’s role of watering the tree, and the island’s name, Skjebne, which translates to fate, destiny and doom.

Reading two: a pull to act

Mormor continues to water the tree because she sees it as her destiny.

What links them

Reading one: a set path

Ancestry: Martha’s role in her family’s history.

Reading two: a pull to act

Ancestry: Mormor waters the tree as part of her ancestry.

Predict, then check

Ravens appear in the novel. Go with your gut before you look.

A writer puts ravens into a novel. What do you think they suggest to a reader?

Why fate?

Reason it through

Why do writers use the theme of fate?

Link 1 of 4

First link · your turn

Start with what fate is. What kind of events does it involve?

Locked — reveal the link above first

Your turn

Write it up, then mark it yourself

Write a short paragraph on how the theme of the supernatural is explored in ‘The Twisted Tree’. Name the theme, describe at least one specific moment (don’t quote), say how it explores the theme, and use a development phrase such as ‘More specifically’ or ‘In particular’. [4 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Names an important theme (here, the supernatural). (1 mark)
Picks out at least one specific moment from the novel. (1 mark)
Says how that moment explores the theme. (1 mark)
Uses a development phrase (‘More specifically’, ‘More precisely’, ‘It is as if’ or ‘In particular’) to hone in on the example. (1 mark)

Model answer

The supernatural is one of the key themes in ‘The Twisted Tree’. It is explored in more than one way. More specifically, Martha can tell things about people by touching their clothes, which shows her having powers. In particular, the books in her room move on their own, which is another moment that explores the supernatural.

Theme, specific moment, how it explores the theme, development phrase. That’s the whole method in one paragraph.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Spot the big ideas a writer keeps coming back to, and prove them with moments from the story.

What you need to know

A theme is an important idea or thread in a text that is explored in a number of different ways.
Themes are the big linking ideas, and a text can have more than one.
Not every idea or plot point is a theme. The important ones are returned to over and over again.
Have a goYour friend says: ‘In my story a character misses the bus on page 3, so missing the bus is a theme!’ Is it?
No. Missing the bus is a plot point, not a theme.
A theme is an important idea returned to over and over and explored in different ways, not any idea or plot point.
To explore a theme, ask two questions: what theme is important, and how and when is it explored?
Answer the second question by picking out specific moments in the text, using words from them.
Have a goA classmate writes just ‘This novel is about fate.’ and stops. Which of the two questions have they not answered yet?
How and when fate is explored.
They have named a theme, but they haven’t picked out any specific moments or words to show how it is explored.
Key themes in ‘The Twisted Tree’ include the supernatural, good versus evil, fate and being an outsider.
Fate is the idea that our lives are laid out before we’re born: events outside our control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power.
Fate doesn’t mean no choice. Some events are predestined, but characters can still make choices that shape their journey.
Phrases like ‘More specifically’ and ‘In particular’ help you hone in on an example when you discuss a theme.
Have a goYou’ve written ‘Fate is a theme in this novel.’ Add one development phrase to start zooming in on an example.
For instance: ‘More specifically’, ‘More precisely’, ‘It is as if’ or ‘In particular’.
These phrases help you develop your ideas, add emphasis and hone in on an example from the text.

The big picture

A theme is an important idea a writer returns to again and again and explores in different ways. To find one, ask what theme is important, then how and when it is explored, by picking out specific moments.

Key points

1A theme is a big idea that is returned to and explored in different ways, so a single plot point isn’t one.

2Ask what theme is important, then how and when it is explored.

3Prove a theme with specific moments and words from the text.

4One theme, such as fate, can be explored in more than one way.

5Fate does not remove choice: characters can still shape their journey.

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Worked example

Problem

Turn this bare claim into a developed point: ‘Fate is a theme in The Twisted Tree.’

⚠ Watch out

Calling a plot point a theme. ‘Mormor waters the tree’ is a moment in the story; the theme it explores is fate.

🧠

Memory hook

Theme = a big idea that keeps coming back. Ask: what is it, and how and when does the writer explore it? Then prove it with moments.

✓

Check yourself

Cover the page. Say the two questions you ask to explore a theme, then use them on the supernatural: which moments could you point to?

Flashcards

(15)

What is a theme?

An important idea or thread in a text that is explored in a number of different ways. Themes are the big linking ideas, and there may be more than one.

Why isn’t a plot point a theme?

A theme is not any idea or plot point. The most important themes are returned to over and over again and explored in a number of different ways.

The two questions for exploring a theme

What theme is important? How and when is this theme explored? Answer the second by picking out specific moments, using words from them.

What is fate?

The idea that our lives are laid out for us before we are even born. It is the development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power.

Does fate mean characters have no choice?

No. Certain events and abilities are predestined, but characters still have the power to make choices that shape their journey.

Foreboding

A feeling that something bad is going to happen.

Omen

A sign or event believed to predict or indicate a future occurrence.

Ancestry

A person’s family history or lineage. In ‘The Twisted Tree’ it is linked to fate.

What do ravens do in ‘The Twisted Tree’?

They help create an ominous atmosphere, linked to the supernatural and mystery, death and the afterlife, and omens of bad luck or death. This is interpretation.

The supernatural in ‘The Twisted Tree’

A key theme, explored through books moving on their own, Martha’s powers of touch, and the tree’s heart and hollow suggesting it has powers.

Good versus evil in ‘The Twisted Tree’

A key theme. Martha represents good with her kindness and bravery, while the twisted tree might represent evil with its foreboding and looming presence.

Being an outsider in ‘The Twisted Tree’

A key theme. Martha feels like an outsider because of changes in her life that separate her from others and from her former sense of self.

Skjebne

The island’s name. It translates to ‘fate, destiny and doom’.

Why do writers use fate?

It can create conflict, which leads to tension. It develops characters through how they respond and how their choices align with their destinies.

Phrases that develop an idea

‘More specifically’, ‘More precisely’, ‘It is as if’ and ‘In particular’ help you add emphasis and hone in on examples.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Which theme is each moment exploring?

Which idea sounds most like yours?

Write it up, then mark it yourself

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