Theme

Whenever a creator composes a meaningful text, they are hoping their audience will take something significant away from their experience. That is to say, they are hoping the audience will engage in the theme of the text. 

Introduction

While we study all kinds of texts in English, we are primarily interested in those literary texts which have something meaningful to say about the human condition. 

While the purpose of a text may be to deliver this message, the message itself is known as the theme of the text. 

The concept of theme is another tricky one to get our heads around, but it is critical to textual analysis.

The White Tiger

While the subject matter of a text can be described in broad, unspecific language, recognising an underlying theme requires a little more work. 

Let's consider the 2008 novel The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga as an example of how a text can explore complex underlying themes. 

The novel tells the story of a lower-class man in India who attempts to improve his life by becoming an entrepreneur. From this, we can say that the subject matter of the text is life in contemporary India. 

To identify an underlying theme, however, we need to look a little more closely at the story itself. 

Synopsis

In the novel, protagonist Balram Halwai narrates his life story in a letter to then-Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. 

Balram describes his very poor upbringing and the ways he had to support his family at the expense of his own desires. As the novel progresses, Balram is exposed to new opportunities in a developing, globalising India. 

Here, Balram is also exposed to the corruption that can accompany such opportunities. Balram is manipulated by his new employer, only to murder this man so that he can escape to begin his own business. This he achieves by becoming both corrupt and manipulative in his own right. 

At the end of the story, Balram's tone suggests he is proud of his achievements, believing he has escaped his poor upbringing in the only way possible. 

What, then, is the underlying message of this story? 

Developing an Interpretation

Crafting our own interpretation of the underlying themes of a text requires critical thinking and careful language. Fortunately, this is an enjoyable process, and we get much better at it with practice. 

In the case of The White Tiger, we can offer several interpretations of the novel's underlying message. 

Perhaps, Adiga would like his audience to feel angry about how globalisation is affecting India. Thus, an underlying theme of the novel could be the corrupting influence of capitalism. 

Alternatively, Adiga may want his readers to be frustrated by the traditional caste system that prevented Halwai from escaping his social status through legitimate means. From this perspective, an underlying theme could be the harmful effects of a restrictive society. 

So, which of these interpretations is right? 

Well, part of the fun of English is arguing in favour of our own interpretations of the underlying theme of a text. While we are reluctant to say in English that one interpretation is 'right', we can certainly try to convince people that our interpretation is valid and worthy. 

To do this, we must always ask the question "What is the creator really trying to say here?"

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