So you’ve been handed a passage and have to find the main idea of a story. But you have no idea where to begin and it’s starting to look like one large block of text. Never fear! Today we’ll look at how to find the main idea of a story and why it matters for learning and writing. 

Trying to find a single main idea from a much larger passage might sound like finding a needle in a haystack, but in reality, there are some clues you can use to find what you need. 

In addition, this is a skill that goes beyond the classroom, and it’s easy to practice since you can try doing it with anything that you might read, from graphic novels to social media posts. Let’s uncover how to find the main idea of a story.

Definition: What is a main idea?

The main idea is a concise statement that summarizes the primary scenario or overall essence of a text. It narrows down the longer text into one sentence.

When you’re reading or writing nonfiction or an informational text, the main idea will be tied to the one overarching idea that the thesis (main argument) encapsulates. (Hint, all the topic sentences in an essay will support that thesis statement, so they should all relate!)

A main idea is a little different than a central theme of a story. The main idea is the specific point of a story while a central theme will be broader and more universal.

For example, the main idea of Romeo and Juliet is that two young lovers from feuding families fall in love, leading to tragic consequences due to their families’ longstanding rivalry.

The central theme of Romeo and Juliet might be that rivalries destroy communities.

See how the main idea is limited to this story, but the theme could be applied to other artistic works and time periods?

When we consider main ideas, we are looking at the overall summary of the story. Not one part of the text, or a couple parts, but a central idea that stretches across the entire story.

It’s important to consider the entire work because a lot of the time, the author won’t give you the main idea in just a single sentence or even in the first few pages.

How do you find the main idea of a story?

With stories, the main idea is typically found after reading the whole work, because unlike with academic writing and essays, the topic isn’t stated in the first sentence or paragraph. Here are a few helpful ideas to find the main idea in a story.

Identify the storyline

When you are looking for the main idea of a story, you can usually work from the main character’s journey. It’s a lot like a premise.

[Character] wants [goal] but [conflict] so [action] and [resolution].

Work from an important passage

You could also start by locating one paragraph or scene that you think is super important to the overall narrative. You can take that one scene and start identifying what you thought was important.

Maybe it was a dialogue exchange or maybe it was the way a character was acting. Maybe the author repeated one idea over and over again. You can use things like that to identify what the author thought was important.

Look for patterns in theme

You can also look specifically at what the main character learns and how they learn it. The character’s journey will always point to the underlying themes presented in a story.

What the author thought was important was likely significant to the overall message of the story, and therefore important to conveying the main idea.

Let’s start with an example, since this process can be a little challenging. 

Main Idea Example: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

We’ve all probably read the picture book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff. To give a rough summary of this book, a mouse asks for a cookie, then a glass of milk to go with it, then a straw, then a napkin, and so on. 

It gradually escalates from just asking for one thing to doing another, larger task, until we end right back up at the beginning with the mouse getting thirsty and asking for a glass of milk.

The main idea is a mouse asks for a cookie which leads to numerous other requests, and that one action can lead to a chain of events, often resulting in unexpected consequences. The story follows a mouse who, after being given a cookie, requests a series of other items, leading to a humorous and escalating sequence of demands.

This illustrates the idea of how one simple act can create a domino effect, highlighting themes of dependency, curiosity, and the nature of giving and receiving. Notice that those common themes apply more broadly to more than this story.

Why do teachers ask you to find the main idea?

Teachers ask students to find the main idea for several reasons:

1. Comprehension Skills: Identifying the main idea helps students understand the core message of the text. This understanding is crucial for overall comprehension and allows students to engage with the material more deeply.
2. Focus on Key Information: By honing in on the main idea, students learn to filter out less relevant details and focus on what is truly important in a reading. This skill is essential not only in academic settings but also in everyday life where information can be overwhelming.
3. Critical Thinking: Finding the main idea encourages students to think critically about what they are reading. They must analyze the text, discern patterns, and make inferences, which fosters analytical skills.
4. Effective Summarization: Understanding the main idea is a foundational skill for summarizing texts. It enables students to condense information into concise statements, which is useful for studying and retaining information.
5. Engagement with Content: By focusing on the main idea, students can connect the material to their own experiences or other knowledge they have, making the learning process more relevant and engaging.
6. Preparation for Advanced Reading: As students encounter more complex texts, being able to identify main ideas becomes increasingly important. It prepares them for higher level critical reading and comprehension tasks expected in advanced studies.
7. Improving Retention: Knowing the main idea helps students remember key concepts and arguments, which aids in long-term retention of information and better performance in assessments.

Overall, finding the main idea enhances students’ reading skills and prepares them for more sophisticated analytical tasks in their academic journey. 

Why writers need to know the main idea

Sometimes, you start writing something and you don’t realize what you actually want to say until you’re a few paragraphs in. 

It’s important to know the main idea so that you can focus your writing on what specifically you want your readers to know, and therefore, what specifically you need to write about. 

It can help you avoid deleting those several paragraphs worth of your time, and also help you to avoid any unnecessary fluff. 

But most importantly, it can give you a starting point. Sometimes you get stuck staring at a Word Document for a while because you don’t know where to start. Giving yourself a main idea can help you get at least one sentence on the page. 

From there, just like the mouse and his cookie, you can get more sentences on the page—one after another until your story is complete.

How do you find the main idea in a story? Share your best tips in the comments.