20 Powerful Thematic Statement Examples

A thematic statement is a simple yet powerful message an author is trying to convey in their work. Learn what a thematic statement is in simple terms and how to create one. Get clear theme statement examples on love, identity and trust.

What Is a Thematic Statement?

A thematic statement, or thematic sentence, is an overarching message of a piece of literary work. It doesn’t mention the piece of work, author or characters, but it conveys the true essence of the work. Themes typically cover abstract universal ideas and concepts like love, identity and trust. Your thematic statement tells you exactly what the writer is saying about the theme.

Thematic Sentence Example

For example, look at the theme of love in The Hunger Games. A thematic statement for this might be:

Love can make you care more about others than you do about your own life when put to the test.

This thematic statement is seen in multiple areas throughout the book, like when Katniss volunteers for her sister or puts herself at risk to save Peeta.

Theme vs. Topic

When trying to figure out your thematic statement, you might hear the words theme and topic. The theme and topic of a book are different.

• The theme topic is a universal message you have to read the book to understand, like “death” in the Harry Potter series. You can’t know this theme by just reading the book jacket.
• Topic, on the other hand, is the in-your-face overview of what the book is about, like “a boy learning a magical world exists and he’s part of it” for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Now that you know what a thematic statement is and how it’s different from a topic, check out some different theme statement examples.

Theme Statement Examples

Theme statements come in all different shapes and sizes. And, there are a plethora of theme topics you might find in stories. To create a perfect theme statement, you combine that overarching theme topic with a message the author is making. Check out a few different examples.

• Death is not something to fear but something to embrace as inevitable.
• Gossip can destroy a person’s reputation in one whisper.
• Evil deeds are punished in ways you might not expect.
• Trust in yourself is just as important as trust in others.
• A family supports you even when the rest of the world doubts you.