What is theme?

-Definition: a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a

literary work
-It is a thought or idea the author presents to the reader that may be deep, difficult to
understand, or even moralistic
-Generally, a theme has to be extracted as the reader explores the passages of a work
-The theme provides an answer to the question, What is the work about?
-Unlike plot, which deals with the action of a work, theme concerns itself with a
work's message or contains the general idea of a work.