Common Themes

Identity

Focus on how characters struggle to define or understand themselves, often related to culture, personal history, or external pressures.

Power and Control

Look at how power dynamics shape relationships, characters, or events. Consider who holds power and how it is used or abused.

Freedom and Oppression

Explore characters' struggles for freedom, and how they either experience or fight against societal, physical, or emotional oppression.

Conflict (internal/external)

Analyze conflicts within a character (internal) or between characters or groups (external). Understand how these drive the plot.

Love and Relationships

Examine the complexities of human relationships, including romantic, familial, and platonic dynamics.

Morality and Ethics

Investigate characters' moral dilemmas and choices, exploring themes like good vs. evil, right vs. wrong.

Revenge and Justice

Study how revenge and the pursuit of justice play central roles, and whether they are ever justified or effective.

Alienation

Consider how characters feel separated or isolated from society or others, and how this affects their actions or thoughts.

Coming of Age

Focus on the transition from childhood to adulthood and the key lessons or transformations that occur.

Fear and Courage

Look for characters confronting fears or showing bravery, and how these moments impact their growth.

The Human Condition

Explore universal human experiences like suffering, joy, and survival.

Nature vs. Nurture

Delve into how characters' behaviors are influenced by genetics (nature) vs. environment (nurture).

Social Class

Pay attention to how wealth, status, and social rank influence characters' lives and choices.

Gender Roles

Analyze how traditional gender expectations shape characters' behaviors and interactions.

War and Peace

Investigate how war impacts individuals, societies, and nations, and how peace or the lack thereof is portrayed.

Corruption and Greed

Study how characters' desires for wealth or power lead to moral decay or unethical choices.

Individual vs. Society

Focus on the tension between a character's desires and societal expectations or rules.

Loss and Grief

Look for how characters deal with losing loved ones or facing emotional trauma.

Hope and Despair

Examine moments of optimism vs. hopelessness, and how these drive the narrative forward.

Tradition vs. Modernity

Explore characters' struggles between upholding tradition and embracing change.

Redemption

Track characters' journeys of self-forgiveness or attempts to make amends for past mistakes.

Sacrifice

Consider moments where characters sacrifice their own well-being for others, and what this reveals about their character.

Betrayal

Focus on instances where trust is broken, and how characters respond to being betrayed.

Justice vs. Injustice

Investigate how themes of fairness and law are explored, and whether justice is achieved.

Fate and Free Will

Delve into the tension between characters' destinies or choices, and whether they are in control of their actions.

Illusion vs. Reality

Analyze how perceptions and the truth differ, and how this shapes characters' actions or beliefs.

Innocence and Guilt

Focus on the exploration of moral innocence and guilt, and how they affect characters' paths.

Truth and Deception

Investigate the role of lies, deceit, and uncovering truth in the plot.

Memory and the Past

Look for how characters' memories or past experiences shape their present actions and outlook.

Mortality

Examine themes of death, life, and what it means to live fully or face the end.