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154comment in some way on those events or observations to explain how and why they create meaning. For example, stating that Ivek thinks about his own children while driving a busload of students through the blizzard is not enough. But moving toward interpretation only requires a subtle adjustment: you could instead claim that Ivek begins to fully understand the responsibility of being a parent when he faces the challenge of driving a busload of other people%u2019s children through a blizzard. This revised claim goes beyond what happens (Ivek drives a school bus of kids through the blizzard) and focuses on how and why the events have significance (Ivek takes responsibility for a large group of children in a dangerous situation that clarifies for Ivek the challenges and commitments parents must embrace).If you start right off with a thesis statement or claim that argues for an interpretation of the story%u2019s meaning, you will guard against summary. Let%u2019s examine a few attempts at claims that would result in summary and consider how they could be revised to convey an interpretation of meaning.SUMMARY The blizzard in %u201cThe Hollow Children%u201d threatens the safety of Ivek and the children on the bus.INTERPRETATION The blizzard in %u201cThe Hollow Children%u201d suggests the constant battle with nature members of the rural farming community face.The summary statement simply tells what happened during the course of the story, but the interpretive statement takes that same point and explains why it happened. It answers the question: Why does the blizzard present such a dangerous situation? Here%u2019s another one:SUMMARY: In %u201cThe Hollow Children,%u201d the students travel quite a distance through dangerous weather to make it to the school.INTERPRETATION: In %u201cThe Hollow Children,%u201d Ivek and the students%u2019 dedication to making it to the school during a blizzard symbolizes the importance of schools as places of opportunity and safety.This last summary statement is accurate, but as before, it is not an interpretation. Notice how the interpretive statement points to symbolism in order to frame the analysis.You might ask yourself the following questions: Would anyone else see this point differently? Can I write a whole essay on this idea? If the answer to both questions is yes, then you%u2019re probably writing an interpretation that could also work as a thesis statement. If the answer is no, you%u2019re probably in the realm of summary rather than interpretation, or you may be writing an interpretation that works well as a topic sentence but not as a thesis statement.To understand this first distinction, consider the second summary statement above. Anyone who reads the story can tell you that Ivek and the children travel through a life-threatening blizzard to get to the school. This conclusion is quite self-evident. Writing Workshop Analysis of Theme in FictionCopyright %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.