Theme and Symbolism: HOPE

HOPE

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HELPFUL TIP:

Your story's theme is its central message to readers and can be reinforced with specific symbols and motifs pulled right from the setting. Additionally, symbols woven into a scene can underscore your character's emotions, establish mood, and even generate conflict. Explore your story theme thoughtfully and use associated symbols to do more with less.

THEMATIC STATEMENTS THAT MAY APPLY TO YOUR STORY:

With hope, anything is possible.
Without hope, nothing is possible.
No matter how dark things seem, there is always hope.
Hope exists as long as you never give up.
The most important thing you can give someone else is hope.
Hope isn't taken from us; it can only be surrendered.
Hoping is foolish.

LIES (ANTI-THEMATIC STATEMENTS) YOUR CHARACTER MIGHT BELIEVE:

Things never work out the way they should.
There's no hope for me.
Things work out for other people but not for me.
I'd rather live without hope than be disappointed.
I have to accept things the way they are.
If I keep hoping for things to work out, I'm only going to get hurt.
Nothing will ever change.

CHARACTER TRAITS TO SUPPORT OR CHALLENGE THE THEME:

APATHETIC, CYNICAL, GULLIBLE, MARTYR, MORBID, PESSIMISTIC, RESENTFUL, SELF-DESTRUCTIVE, STUBBORN, SUPERSTITIOUS, UNGRATEFUL, WEAK-WILLED, WORRYWART, APPRECIATIVE, CAUTIOUS, CONFIDENT, HAPPY, IDEALISTIC, INSPIRATIONAL, OBJECTIVE, OPTIMISTIC, PATIENT, PERSISTENT, SIMPLE

WOUNDS THAT MAY SHAPE A CHARACTER'S PERSPECTIVE:

A LOVED ONE'S SUICIDE, A MISCARRIAGE OR STILLBIRTH, A TERMINAL ILLNESS DIAGNOSIS, BATTLING A MENTAL CONDITION, BECOMING A CAREGIVER AT AN EARLY AGE, BECOMING HOMELESS FOR REASONS OUT OF ONE'S CONTROL, BEING BULLIED, BEING FORCED TO KEEP A DARK SECRET, BEING HELD CAPTIVE, BEING LEGITIMATELY INCARCERATED FOR A CRIME, BEING TORTURED, BEING VICTIMIZED BY A PERPETRATOR WHO WAS NEVER CAUGHT, DOMESTIC ABUSE, EXPERIENCING POVERTY, INCEST, LIVING WITH A CRITICAL MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, LIVING WITH AN ABUSIVE CAREGIVER, LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN OR ILLNESS, LOSING A LIMB, LOSING ONE OF THE FIVE SENSES, PREJUDICE OR DISCRIMINATION, SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION, SOCIAL DIFFICULTIES, WRONGFUL IMPRISONMENT

CREATIVE WORKS THAT EXPLORE THIS THEME:

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Because of Winn-Dixie
Life of Pi
"Hope is the Thing with Feathers," by Emily Dickinson
Invincible
The Shawshank Redemption
The Pursuit of Happyness
Room

NATURAL SYMBOLS FOR THIS THEME:

The sun emerging from behind a cloud
The warmth of sunshine
Rain falling on dry ground
The smell of rain or moisture in the air
Sunrise
New growth
Changing seasons
Spring
Seagull sightings in the middle of the ocean
The first glimpse of land as seen from the sea
Rainbows
Babies and offspring in the animal kingdom
The first flowers in spring (daffodils, tulips, crocuses, snowdrops)
Melting snow
The new moon
Butterflies

HUMAN & SOCIETAL SYMBOLS FOR THIS THEME:

Children
Newborns
A pink cancer ribbon
Random acts of kindness
Open doors
A light turning on in the dark
The Statue of Liberty
Soup kitchens
Religious symbols
Places of worship (churches, synagogues, mosques, shrines)
Education
Advances in science
Medicines and vaccines
Experimental treatments and drug trials
Second chances
New beginnings (a new job, school, house, or look)
New Year's Day
Historical figures who brought hope to others (Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa, Gandhi, etc.)
Amethysts

SYMBOLISM EXAMPLES IN STORIES:

The green light on Daisy's dock (The Great Gatsby)
Gabriel (The Giver)
The library (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption)