: Re: Finding a thematic setting Allow me to explain what I mean by 'thematic setting'. I'm talking about a setting which, simply by having the story located in it, shows the reader something: ideally

@Sarah872

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Your question almost contains its own answer. Based on your own definition and examples, I would say you need a setting where the philosophical question you are exploring is built intrinsically into the social and political structures of the setting.

Thus, in Hunger Games, the wealth of the Capitol and the poverty of the districts physically establishes the theme of rich versus poor, and the institution of the Hunger Games both embodies the principle of divide and conquer, and functions quite explicitly as a representation of the domination and exploitation of the poor by the rich. In Star Wars the institutions of the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, as drawing on two sides of the same foundational power base, is a structural analog of the dynamic you describe.

So, if your theme is "love overcomes all obstacles," how about a setting where love is outlawed? Or if your theme is environmental collapse, set it in a rural town where the main employer is systematically destroying the town's natural environment for its resources.

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