Comparing Themes Across Different Story Versions

Did you know that many countries around the world tell their very own version of the same story? A girl who is treated unfairly but ends up happy. A group of animals who learn to work together. These stories can look different on the outside, but often teach the very same lesson inside. Today you will learn how to compare the theme, setting, and plot of story versions from different cultures.

A theme is the big lesson or message a story teaches you. It is not just what happens in the story, it is what the story wants you to learn. Some common themes are "be kind to others," "hard work pays off," or "what is inside you matters more than what you look like."

When you compare two versions of the same story, you ask yourself: Do both stories teach the same lesson? Sometimes the answer is yes, even when the two stories look very different on the outside.

Many cultures tell their own Cinderella story. In France, there is Cendrillon, a girl who loses her glass slipper at a ball. In China, there is a story called Yeh-Shen, where a girl loses a golden slipper at a festival. In a Native American story called The Rough-Face Girl, a girl with a kind heart is chosen over her mean sisters.

The settings change. One story happens in a French kingdom, another in old China, another near a lake in a Native American village. The small plot details change too, like a slipper made of glass instead of gold, or a fairy godmother instead of magic fish bones. But look closely at the theme. In each story, a kind girl with a good heart is finally seen and rewarded. That theme stays the same, even though the culture, setting, and small plot details are different.

When you compare two versions of a story, try these three steps.

First, find the setting. Ask where and when each story happens. Second, find the plot. Ask what problem the main character has and how it gets solved. Third, find the theme. Ask what lesson each story teaches. Write the theme in your own words, like "hard work helps you win" or "being kind matters."

Once you have all three parts for both stories, put them side by side. You might find the setting and small plot details are very different, especially when the stories come from different cultures. But often the theme is the part that stays the same, because many cultures want to teach children the same important lessons.

A story from Japan might use rice and bamboo. A story from Mexico might use corn and a desert. A story from West Africa might use a clever spider named Anansi. These details come from the culture where the story was first told, because storytellers use things from their own world.

Even with different foods, animals, and places, two stories from opposite sides of the world can still teach you the same theme, such as "cleverness can solve a big problem" or "sharing makes everyone stronger." Finding this shared theme is like finding a hidden match between two puzzles that look nothing alike on the outside.

Theme: The big lesson or message a story wants to teach you.

Version: Another way of telling the same story.

Culture: The way of life, food, clothing, and customs of a group of people.

Setting: The place and time where a story happens.

Plot: The events that happen in a story from start to finish.

Compare: Looking at two or more things to find what is the same.

Contrast: Looking at two or more things to find what is different.

Pick two versions of the same story, like two tellings of the tortoise and the hare, or two versions of a trickster story. Draw a chart with three boxes labeled setting, plot, and theme. Fill in each box for both stories. Then circle the boxes that match. You will often see the theme box match even when the other boxes look different.

Related lessons

• Comparing Different Story Versions