: Re: Is it acceptable to have the theme of a story remain hidden to its characters? I am trying to expand the depth of my writing beyond simple storytelling. Although my previous novel was an action/adventure,

@Mendez196

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Do the characters or even the narrator have to understand that there is an underlying theme of the story?

I think obviously not; neither the characters or narrator need to know the theme.

Many books we feel to be "good" do have themes, either statements or topics, and the self-reinforcing nature of the different sub-plots (all variations on the theme) resonate with us readers even if we don't realize it consciously.

That is essentially the value of having a theme (message or topic), this resonance between character arcs, sub-plot variations, etc, instead of a stew of different character arcs with different kinds of goals. e.g. It helps if everybody is essentially seeking some aspect of love, instead of the myriad other goals they might have.

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