Is Love a Theme or a Topic? Let's Dive into the Heart of It

Honestly, I’ve been wrestling with this question for a while: is love really a theme, or just a topic? It sounds simple, but the more I think about it, the more layers I discover. And let me tell you, I don’t have it all figured out. But maybe that’s the beauty of it—love, in its own way, defies these neat little boxes we try to put it in. So, let's dive in, and see where it leads us.

What's the Difference Between a Theme and a Topic?

Before we start dissecting love, let's get the basics straight. A topic is a broad subject—something you can talk about without diving too deep. Think of it like the title of a book or a subject of an essay: "Love." You could just say it, and it tells you what you're dealing with. No fuss, right?

A theme, on the other hand, is more complex. It’s the deeper underlying message or the central idea that emerges from a work. A theme explores the why, the how, and the impact of something. So, when we talk about love as a theme, we’re not just discussing love, we’re exploring its nuances: how it shapes characters, how it influences actions, and, dare I say, how it messes with people’s lives.

Now, I’ve had conversations with friends who’d argue that love is just a topic—a pretty straightforward one at that. One of my buddies, Alex, insisted that if love were a theme, we’d be overthinking it. "Love is just something you feel," he said, "it doesn’t need to be all symbolic and philosophical." And to be honest, at that moment, I kind of agreed. Maybe love is just a topic after all?

But then I thought about it more… and something clicked.

The Emotional Depth of Love as a Theme

Well, here's the thing: Love isn’t just a topic. It's a theme because it connects to something much bigger. I mean, think about any good novel, movie, or even song. Love isn’t just there to fill space; it drives the plot, shapes the characters, and carries meaning throughout the story. It influences everything—whether it's a tragic love that ends in heartbreak (hello, Romeo and Juliet) or a more uplifting one that teaches growth and healing (think about those rom-coms that leave you smiling). Love changes things. It’s dynamic. It’s powerful.

Take, for example, one of my favorite books, The Great Gatsby. At first glance, it might seem like a story about wealth and ambition, right? But if you dig deeper, you’ll see that love is at the heart of everything—Jay Gatsby’s obsessive love for Daisy, his futile attempts to recreate the past, and even the tragic end. In this case, love isn’t just a topic; it’s a theme that explores the complexities of desire, loss, and even the American Dream. It’s not just a feeling; it’s a force that drives the entire narrative.

Is Love Really Just a Topic?

Okay, so here’s my little confession: when I first started writing this article, I was leaning toward love being just a topic—something easily discussed but not necessarily deep. But after diving into these examples and thinking about my own experiences, I’ve shifted my opinion. Love is a theme. And it’s one of the most important ones we can explore.

Honestly, I’ve had moments in my life where love felt like just a word—simple, even trite. Like, in my early twenties, I was in a relationship that I thought was just about fun and attraction. But as I look back, that relationship was more than just a topic of conversation. It was a theme that affected my growth, challenged my beliefs, and changed how I understood the world. Even the heartbreak that followed made me rethink the whole idea of love. Love, in that sense, wasn’t a fleeting topic. It was something I learned from, something that shaped me.

The Complexity of Love as a Theme

It gets even more complicated when you start thinking about the different types of love. You’ve got romantic love, sure, but also familial love, platonic love, self-love… the list goes on. And each of those types can be explored from so many angles. You can't just throw all of them into a neat little topic box without getting into the deeper stuff. Like, what does self-love really mean? Is it just about confidence, or is it about understanding and accepting your flaws?

I remember chatting with a friend recently—Maria, who's a therapist—and she said something that hit me: “Love is the most universal theme there is, because we’re all affected by it, one way or another. It’s the human experience.” And, yeah, she's right. You can’t just say love is a topic—because, even when you don’t expect it, love is a theme that keeps popping up.

Wrapping Up

So, is love a theme or a topic? Well, after all this thinking (and second-guessing), I can say this with more certainty: love is a theme. It’s more than just a surface-level subject to discuss. It’s a driving force that shapes stories, characters, and even our own lives. It connects us all, but it’s not always easy to understand. And that’s why it’s so important to look at it as a theme, because it opens up all these layers we need to explore—whether it's in literature, relationships, or even within ourselves.

Love, it seems, can never just be a topic. It’s a theme that we’ll continue to unpack, forever evolving, and always relevant. And honestly, maybe that’s exactly what makes it so intriguing.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.