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So at the event that we were talking about is the dinner party at the beginning of the book. I think the Monkey King overreacted when they didn't let him the party because he did not have shoes.

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So in the book American Born Chinese at the end the monkey king is disguised as Chin-kee, Jin-wang was disguised as Danny, and last the monkey kings son was disguised as Wei-Chen.
It seamed as if the three characters were surprised when they each revealed them selves.
At the end of the book the three characters learned to just be yourself and don't judge a book by it's cover.

----Nate and Nathan

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Don't underestimate somebody just by their looks

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Don't underestimate somebody just by their looks

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The monkey king is waiting in line to go to a dinner party when one of the people there ask's him to leave because he is a monkey and has no shoes. The monkey king then fights through everyone to show them that he has more power than anyone.
The guard that asked the monkey king to leave was feeling jolly and happy before the monkey king came and wrecked his face. The monkey king was feeling insulted because the guard made fun of him for being a monkey.
I think the guard learned not to underestimate somebody by how they look or act. I think the monkey king learned that sometimes you have to show people what you can do.

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-The most important event in event in american born Chinese is probably when all the characters are revealed
-This event involves Jin/Danny and Chin-kee/the monkey king
-These characters are feeling both confused and angry at each other
-Their is a very complex theme to this story, but we think that it is: It's always best to just be yourself

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Theme  is  probably the most important part of a story.  The theme of a story can be very obvious, or hidden behind layers of complex story. The theme is the moral or deeper meaning of the story. For example, a famous theme is "slow and steady wins the race" or another one "treat others like you want to be treated".

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Debbie Notari

Debbie Notari received her Bachelor’s degree in English and M.S. in Education Literacy and Learning for Grades 6-12. Debbie has over 28 years of teaching experience, teaching a variety of grades for courses like English, Reading, Music, and more.

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Kaitlyn Danahy

Kate has a bachelor's degree in literature & creative writing from Gordon College. She taught high school literature, philosophy, and writing in India and has tutored for the same subjects in the US.

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The theme in literature pertains to the critical belief or message that the author wants to convey to readers. Understand the definition of the theme in literature with some examples. Updated: 09/16/2021

Defining a Theme

The theme in a story is its underlying message, or 'big idea.' In other words, what critical belief about life is the author trying to convey in the writing of a novel, play, short story or poem? This belief, or idea, transcends cultural barriers. It is usually universal in nature. When a theme is universal, it touches on the human experience, regardless of race or language. It is what the story means. Often, a piece of writing will have more than one theme.

Think about some T.V. sitcoms you have seen that you have found trite and boring. Was there a significant problem in the T.V. show that needed to be solved? Probably not. In much the same way, if a piece of writing doesn't have deeper meaning than we can just see on the surface, it is just as shallow as the T.V. sitcom. In order for writing to be meaningful and lasting, it needs to have a theme.

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How Does a Writer Develop Theme?

So how does a writer develop a theme for a story, poem or narrative? It really comes down to what the writer believes about life. If a writer has a belief system or feels strongly about certain things - and most people do - then, those strong life views will be reflected in his or her writing. For a work to last, it needs depth, and depth in writing reflects depth in the writer.

We could go on and on with great examples of theme, but we won't - I promise. Let's just look at three examples and analyze what gives depth and meaning to these pieces of literature.

Take Golding's The Lord of the Flies, for example. We know that Golding taught in a boys' school and later fought in WWII. He writes, 'I began to see what people were capable of doing. Anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or wrong in the head.' In The Lord of the Flies, Golding took his belief about evil being resident in the human heart, even in children, and set about to prove this by placing young boys on a deserted island. If they were good at heart and only corrupted by their environment, then the boys would be well-behaved. But, if they were bent toward evil, the result would be chaos. Chaos wins. Thus, a deeper meaning in The Lord of the Flies would be that man is capable of evil and that evil dwells in the human heart. Whether or not the reader agrees with Golding's analysis, this novel will most likely always be considered an enduring classic because of its depth of meaning.

In Julio Noboa's poem 'Identity', we see an entirely different theme. Let's read the poem, first:

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Dissecting Themes

As the lesson says, themes are the main message of any story. Sometimes, themes are more complex, better akin to questions an author poses and explores multiple possible answers to instead of answers themselves. In this exercise, you will learn about how writers explore themes through answering several questions about the story.

The Beginning:

Choose a favorite story of yours. It can be a TV show, movie, book, or video game. If you pick a comedy such as a TV sitcom, try to see if there is a deeper meaning (sometimes there is!). If not, pick another story.

Character Arcs:

Who is the main character? Who is the antagonist?

For example, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry is the main character and Voldemort is the main antagonist.

What do they have in common? (This will often lead you to the main theme of a story.)

Harry Potter's parents died and Harry survived a curse that should have killed him the same day Voldemort also died. Thus, Harry and Voldemort are connected by death: the main theme.

How does this connecting idea motivate each of the characters? What are the differences?

Harry desperately wants to be reunited with his parents. Voldemort wants to fully return to life and is eager to kill to do so. Harry's desire to overcome death is motivated by love; Voldemort's by selfishness. (You could conclude love and selfishness are two other themes in addition to death.)

Symbols and Motifs:

What symbols and motifs can you identify in the story that relate to the theme?

The Philosopher's Stone creates an elixir of life; everyone is seeking it, or seeking life.

Fluffy the three-headed dog is a symbol of death; in mythology a three-headed Cerberus guards the underworld.

The unicorn Voldemort kills is a symbol of innocence that he is willing to destroy in order to come back to life.

Resonance:

How does the story's resolution affect the theme? Does it answer any question the theme might have asked?

Harry is saved by the love of his mother, even though she is dead. Thus, love enables someone to continue to live after death, and you can conclude the question is about how to deal with death.

Why do you think the theme resonates with people? Does it resonate with you?

Love and death are real for everybody.

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What is Theme in Literature? - Definition & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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The theme in literature pertains to the critical belief or message that the author wants to convey to readers. Understand the definition of the...