Infer a theme from how setting, character, and plot work together.
Compare how the same theme is developed across two passages, genres, or media.
What the lesson concludes
A theme is the larger idea a text expresses. The subject is only the surface topic it uses to express that idea.
Identify a theme by watching how setting, character, and plot work together, since it is rarely stated outright.
Two texts can share a subject and diverge in theme, or share a theme and diverge in subject. Check both directions before you compare.
When a question asks how a theme is developed, name the technique, imagery, plot, dialogue, camera angle, that particular medium uses, not just the theme itself.