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Literary Analysis: Analyze Theme
Academic Vocabulary

  • • analyze (a-nu-līz) verb When you analyze, you separate something into parts and examine, or study, it.

What Is the Story’s Message? The title “The House on Mango Street” tells you a topic. The topic is what the story is about. For example, in this story, the main character wants a house of her own. A story also has a theme, or message, about the topic. Authors usually don’t tell the readers the theme. The readers have to figure it out.

To identify the theme of the story, pay attention to the thoughts, words, and actions of the characters. These clues will help you analyze the theme.

We didn’t always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I can’t remember. But what I remember most is moving a lot. Each time it seemed there’d be one more of us.

Practice Together

Make a Theme Chart What message do you think the author wants to tell? First, identify important clues about the characters in the story. Use a Theme Chart to keep track of the clues. Then use what you learn about the characters to analyze the theme of a story.

Theme Chart

Important EventWhat the Character Thinks, Says, and DoesWhat the Character Learns and How She Changes
Family moves to Mango Street

Create your own Theme Chart. Work with the class to add more clues from the story.

Try It!

Tell About the Theme Add another detail, or clue, from the story. Then review all the clues. What do you think is the theme of the story? Use the clues to write a sentence about the message of the story.