Life as Art
One of the major themes of this film is life as art. Tom is shown being taken care of by Viv who says that he believes he can only create if he is sick, so he makes himself sick. Thus, him marrying a woman who is constantly ill provides the opportunity for his creative genius to spark. Unfortunately for him, Viv and Viv's family their lives are on full display in his work. He becomes the greatest living English-language poet, but at a high cost.
Insanity
The theme of insanity in this film is a major one, because Viv is deemed clinically insane and is admitted to an asylum to live out the rest of her life. Once time has passed we learn that she needed hormone therapy, something that would have changed her behavior and made her as normal as any other person on the planet. Thus, the medical communities inability to treat her was due to not knowing what she had and they simply labeled her insane because she didn't understand it.
Endurance
Endurance is a major theme of this film in that Tom endures years of Viv's outbursts and inconsistent behavior as he is attempting to build a life for them through his poetry. He endures because his poetry stems from their shared experiences and hardships in life, and their story proves to make worthy art. Viv endures the cruelty of being put in an asylum to live out her life by Tom, who never visits her. Even though he has done this she remains loyal to him, and Tom to her.
