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153Once you have finished brainstorming, zoom out to consider what overarching interpretation could connect your observations on individual elements. In other words, what themes do these elements suggest?To give one example, you may notice the setting, point of view, and symbols of the story all connect to the parenting challenges Ivek faces and the way he works to overcome them. Many of Ivek%u2019s thoughts relate back to his own children who, depending on the point in the story, he alternately believes are safe at home or are on the bus. So, one possible theme could be the responsibility parents have to shepherd their children through the world to the best of their abilities.Another theme could emerge from the story%u2019s plot structure, setting, and symbols: the natural world is a source of many people%u2019s livelihoods%u2014farming%u2014but also a source of uncontrollable challenges, such as blizzards.Finally, the story%u2019s characters, point of view, and symbols might also suggest the importance of and sacrifices we make for education in society. In addition to preparing students for life, schools provide additional resources and safety, but education requires commitment and sometimes risk.Developing a Thesis StatementNow that we%u2019ve considered how the major literary elements in %u201cThe Hollow Children%u201d convey meaning, let%u2019s focus on how to craft a thesis statement that distills this interpretation into a response to the prompt. Your thesis must make a claim about the meaning of the story that you plan to support in the body of your essay, and while we often talk about writing thesis statements as an automatic, easy task, crafting a quality thesis statement is actually a complex process. Fortunately, any time and effort you invest at this point will pay off, because a well-constructed thesis statement often makes writing the essay itself much more straightforward. Let%u2019s walk through some strategies for crafting a thesis statement that can serve as the foundation for an essay on theme.Moving from Summary to InterpretationThe most important thing to remember as you craft a thesis is to interpret rather than summarize the work. Sometimes, it can be difficult to tell the difference. Simply retelling what happened and making an observation is summarizing. To interpret, you must Consider the third possible interpretation offered above, in which characters, point of view, and symbols suggest the importance of and sacrifices we make for education. Jot down your own thoughts on how each of the three listed elements relates to the theme. You can refer back to the text to find relevant details.ACTIVITY Preparing to Write an Analysis of Theme in FictionAnalysis of Theme in Fiction Writing WorkshopCopyright %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.