Beneath the plot and characters of a work lies a central idea or insight. Theme is that underlying topic or message. It is rarely stated outright; instead it emerges from the pattern of events, the development of characters, and the imagery the author chooses. Common themes include the conflict between individual and society, the passage of time, the nature of justice, or the complexity of love.

A work can sustain more than one theme, and different readers may emphasize different thematic strands. Theme is distinct from subject: the subject of a story might be war; the theme might be the loss of innocence or the moral ambiguity of survival. Identifying theme requires looking beyond the surface narrative to the values and questions the work seems to explore.

Writers may begin with a thematic concern or discover it in the process of writing. Either way, a strong theme gives a work coherence and resonance beyond its immediate story. Readers who can articulate the themes of a text have moved from passive consumption to active interpretation.