Theme: It's a Complicated Idea

Tiffany Lin

Mr. Arcand

English 200 C Block

November 5, 2015

Theme: It's Your Own Interpretation

There is not a correct answer for what the theme of a story is; themes are interpreted differently by each reader. According to Webster's Dictionary, a theme is “the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic”. From the same source, a moral is “a lesson, especially one concerning what is right or prudent, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience”. The three short stories: The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway, and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin each have significant themes that the writer wants the readers to know about.  Most stories have themes, but not all have morals. We will not all have the same idea for what the theme of a story is.

In The Tell Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator kills an old man just because he didn’t like his blue eye. “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture -- a pale blue eye, with a film over it” (Allan Poe 79). However, after murdering the old man, the narrator felt guilty. Hearing the heartbeat of the supposedly dead man made the narrator confess to the police. For many, dealing with the effects of guilt can do a lot to a person. The moral is to not do actions you will regret, such as murder, because guilt will always be there at the end. In some cases, such as this, the moral may be connected to the theme. Both the theme and the moral of the story could be related to guilt and its effects. Additionally, even though the narrator is a murderer, there are signs of sympathy shown. “I loved the old man” (Allan Poe 79). Since the narrator was suffering from an illness, he may not have been completely conscious of his actions. Some people might think that it isn’t completely his fault because he wasn’t in his right state of mind. However, others may think that there is no excuse for murder. Everyone have their own interpretation of the story.

In The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, Chopin depicts a theme of the joy of being independent. When Louise hears of Brently’s death, she reacts with understandable grief. However, not too long after, she begins to realize she is an independent woman now. “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free!’” (Chopin 14). Louise sees her life as being all hers, she even prays to have a long life to keep this awesome feeling. When Brently shows up, he takes away Louise’s independence and her joy of being free is gone; that’s what kills her. Louise surely loved and cared for her husband, but she felt a great sense of joy when she believes he’d passed away. Louise’s reaction to Brently’s death demonstrates the confinement that comes with marriage, which some may consider to be the moral of the story. Marriage may take away from your freedom. The Story of an Hour reveals a theme of the happiness of being independent.

In Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway, there is a theme of the importance of communication. The American man and his girlfriend hardly listen to each other making them frustrated at each other. The man will say almost anything to have the woman do the operation. “We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before… That’s the only that bothers us. It’s the only that that’s made us unhappy” (Hemingway 49). The man always pushes her to get the operation only if she wants to, but consistently mentions that it is a “simple… perfectly natural procedure”. On the other hand, the woman says she would do the operation simply to shut the man up. Both characters do not speak directly about the issue at hand. It is understood that the operation was an abortion, but they never use the word. They walk around the subject, but don’t talk about it with each other in a straightforward manner, as they should. The moral is slightly connected with the theme in that communicating, in particular listening to others, is a very vital aspect in having a healthy relationship.

The author of The Tell Tale Heart explains the effects of guilt on a person. The narrator of the story confesses to the police as soon as the sound of a heartbeat is heard. In The Story of an Hour, there is a theme of the joy of being free. As much as Louise loved and cared about her husband, she felt happy to be independent. Louise did not realize how much she was confined in her marriage until it was over. Hills like White Elephants conveys a theme of the importance of communication and listening. In any story or novel, people will have many different ideas on what the theme or moral is. The author might want to convey a specific message to the audience, but the readers are the main ones to decide what that message really means.