We do not, however, have to accept the theme of an interpretive story any more than we do that'of a commercial story. Though we should never summarily dismiss it without reflection, we may find that the theme of a story represents a iudgment on life with which, on exam ination, we cannot agree. If it is the reasoned view of a seasoned and serious artist, nevertheless, it cannot be without value to us. There is value in knowing what the world looks like to others, and we can thus use a judgment to expand our knowledge of human experience even though we cannot ourselves accept it. Genuine artists and thoughtful observers, moreover, can hardly fail to present us with partial insights along the way although we disagree with the total view. Good readers, therefore, will not reject a story because they reject its theme. They can enjoy any story that arises from sufficient depth of observation and reflection and is artistically composed, though they disagrce with its theme; and they will prefer it to a shallower, less thoughtful, or Tess successfully integrated story that presents a theme they endorse. Discovering and stating the theme of a story is often a delicate task.

Sometimes we will feel what the story is about strongly enough and yet find it difficult to put this feeling into words. If we are skilled readers, it is perhaps unnecessary that we do so. The bare statement of the theme, so lifeless and impoverished when abstracted from the story, may seem to diminish the story to something less than it is. Often, however, the attempt to state a theme will revcal to us aspects of a story that we should otherwise not have noticed and will thereby lead to more thor ough understanding. The ability to state theme, moreover, is a test of our understanding of a story. Beginning readers often think they un derstand a story when in actuality they have misunderstood it. They understand the events but not what the events add up to. Or, in adding up the events, they arrive at an erroneous total. People sometimes miss the point of a joke. It is not surprising that they should frequently miss the point of a good piece of fiction, which is many times more complex than a joke.

There is no prescribed method for discovering theme. Sometimes we can best get at it by asking in what way the main character has changed in the course of the story and what, if anything, the character has learned before its end. Sometimes the best approach is to explore