Theme in Literature

It was an ice cold evening in the city that never sleeps. Criminals stalked the streets, and everywhere you looked, it was a war of good vs. evil. Will there be a hero to come save the city? Someone on a mission for justice? Stay tuned to find out what the theme is.

Yeah, we've got some knowledge you can get right here,
We're talking about a theme or a big idea.
It's a message about life the author is expressing,
So here's an example for anyone with questions.
"Excessive pride leads to a person's demise."
Now, a few more themes you can try on for size.
In The Little Prince, I won't keep you guessing,
"Relationships teach you important lessons."
And in Tuck Everlasting, there's that, "Death
Is a part of the life cycle," do you get it yet?
Many different stories have themes that they share,
It could be in this book, and that book over there.
Like, in Alice and Wonderland and The Little Prince,
Do you know what a theme that they share is?
It's that, "In childhood, you're open-minded,
And you know things that adults lose sight of."
Don't confuse theme with the main idea, though.
So, just in case, let me break it down for you real slow.
The main idea's what a text is about mostly,
While the theme is more sweeping, so you've got to read closely.

Every story has a theme,
A universal concept, if you know what I mean.
Theme in every story, every story has a theme,
Just below the surface, running through it like a stream.
(x2)

Now, a writer won't come right out and say what the theme is,
But with the character and plot you don't need to be a genius.
Take Batman, aka Bruce Wayne the billionaire,
The moonlighting crime fighter who all of the villains fear.
But every once in awhile,
A truly diabolical one comes into town,
And really puts Batman to the test.
The Joker, the Penguin, the Scarecrow, you can guess.
That every time, without fail,
It's the good guy, Batman, who prevails.
So, what's the theme? Think about the plot and the characters,
Heroes, villains—I see the theme—yup, there it is.
"Good triumphs over evil." Let's do another,
Because a text can have more than one theme to discover.
Bruce Wayne's a jerk, but Batman's a good guy.
So, another theme is, "There's more than meets the eye."

Every story has a theme,
A universal concept, if you know what I mean.
Theme in every story, every story has a theme,
Just below the surface, running through it like a stream.
(x2)

And here we are, this story has many themes as you can tell. There's always a theme to everything you read, everything you see. Make sure you dig deep. Your story has a theme, too. Every story has a theme.