Universal themes in
story can start out as statements. Love conquers all. Order leads to harmony. Heroes
are always right. Loyalty to family is absolute. Universal themes are understood
in any culture. They are assumed to be straightforward. Correct. Concrete. But in
the writer’s hands, themes become human. They become specific. In other words,
writers deepen these general themes and give them power by creating compelling
stories.
By building stories
around themes, writers personify them. Think of any romance where “love
conquers all,” Shakespeare’s Romeo and
Juliet, many wonderful present day romance stories, and the ever-present
Chicken Soup for the Soul books. What they all contain is the human side of the
theme. The writer shows through actions and characters how this theme holds up
in the real life of a story.
But showing the theme to
be true or false is only the surface of the story. The difficult job for the
writer in creating a memorable story is to add tension. Tension drives the story.
Conflict, both internal and external, shows the deeper meaning of theme. Conflict
should be specific to one character or a small group of characters in the form
of a belief. If we think about the theme of family loyalty, we can see how
easily it can become misguided; abused spouses staying with their abuser for
family reasons; children believing it is their fault they are being abused. Of course
the theme of loyalty can be political or faith-based too.
The struggles you show
in the story branch off your main theme. They show the inner conflict and why the
character behaves as he or she does. Story events show the literal obstacles
the character faces in life that are hampered by that internal, often misguided
belief of the theme.
If I use my college
memoir as an example with a main theme of believing in oneself, through backstory,
the reader learns that Victoria had struggled through elementary school and finally
makes the honor roll [good grades] by eighth grade. But when she comes to her
father, a man who has always shown her love, to have him sign off on her choice
of college prep courses for high school, he wouldn’t do it. Instead, he told
her college wouldn’t work for her. She wasn’t smart enough.
It comes to the
power of words from someone you trust and love. Because her father didn’t
believe she could survive college, Victoria becomes locked in a vicious cycle
of not believing in herself, in what she could accomplish. What Victoria comes
to realize in this memoir story is that the power to believe in oneself comes
from within. This power to believe in oneself, to obtain it and keep it, is a
constant struggle for many people of all cultures.
Well, what do you think?
Please feel free to offer any insight or ask any questions regarding the
universal theme of believing in oneself for my college memoir. It would be
truly appreciated.
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