Theme, in literature, is the central idea or ideas explored by a literary work.

John
Gardner puts it this way: "By theme here we mean not a message - a word no good writer
likes applied to his work - but the general subject, as the theme of an evening of debates
may be World Wide Inflation."
A work of literary may have more than one theme.


Themes of the "Flipping Fantastic"
There are a few themes in this story. They are:

1. The relationship between brothers
Being twins, the two brothers are extremely close to each
other.
They depend on each other a lot and they fear
being separated.

2. The pain of separation
The twins experience the pain of separation when they have
to go to different schools.

3. Fear of change
The twins fear change as they are very comfortable as they
are presently.
They are worried as they know their lives will be very
different when they go to another school, especially if
they go to different schools.

4. Mother's love
The mother's love for her children is unlimited.
She is proud and supportive of both her sons.
She understands their characters well and
worries about them constantly.
She refuses to accept that Tristan has disabilities and
her attitudes helps Tristan carry on with life in a positive
manner.

5. Adapting to new environments
The twins learn that they cannot fight change and they have
to adapt to their new environments.
In the end, they find that they need not have worried as they
adapt to their new school quickly and are extremely happy
there.


Moral Value, in literature, is the beliefs and personal opinions about what is right
(honest, ethical, true) conduct and what is wrong (dishonest, false, harmful) conduct held
by individuals and held collectively by socially cohesive groups of individuals.


Moral Values of the "Flipping Fantastic"
1. It is important to get co-operation and support from family
members to make good decisions.
2. Parents who are patient and understanding can build a child's
confidence and self-esteem.

Point of view: the perspective from which the story is told.

The most obvious point of view is probably first person or "I."
The omniscient narrator knows everything, may reveal the motivations, thoughts
and feelings of the characters, and gives the reader information.
With a limited omniscient narrator, the material is presented from the point of
view of a character, in third person.
The objective point of view presents the action and the characters' speech, without
comment or emotion. The reader has to interpret them and uncover their meaning.
A narrator may be trustworthy or untrustworthy, involved or uninvolved.