A story’s theme is an intangible or abstract concept that you manifest through your plot. In this video, explore the first of two types of themes found in storytelling: a dominant idea, using the example of “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult.
Hello, Jane Cleland here. Can you give an example of a dominant idea as a theme? Yes, certainly. Uh, keep in mind, a theme is your overarching story concept. It’s intangible. It is abstract. Your plot, a series of incidents taken consecutively, takes that abstract concept and makes it tangible. It’s the manifestation of the theme.
There are two approaches to theme: unifying principle, dominant idea. An example of a dominant idea is the ethical consideration in “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult. The story tells the story of two sisters, one of them dying and the other alive. And the younger sister, who’s alive, was conceived to be a donor for the older sick sister. And she’s now being asked to donate a kidney, or rather she’s being told she’s gonna donate a kidney, uh, to her older sister, and she sues for emancipation. She’s only 12 or 13, but she wants control. Whew, talk about an ethical consideration.
So, that is the manifestation of “Am I my sister’s keeper?”, the “Am I my brother’s keeper?” from the Bible. Big picture, big ideas, theme. If this tip had value for you, I hope you’ll like it, share it. I hope you’ll subscribe to the channel. That opens up features for us that lets us make these videos even more powerful and hopefully helpful for you. And please comment, I read them all. Thank you.
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