Central Idea and the Elements of Fiction
The central idea is the central, unifying element of the story. The central idea can be best described as the universal, generic truth.
Central ideas reflect the discoveries, emotions, conflicts, and experiences of a story’s main characters. A statement of central idea is often about the way the world works and or how the author views human existence. Your central idea should be supportable in your literary analysis. It's best to find the interpretation that most encompasses the essence of the story.
The central idea is the author’s comment, usually implied, on the subject of their narrative. It is insufficient to say that the central idea of a story is about “loyalty” or “motherhood" because those are themes. Central ideas tend to be cause and effect statements.
For example, a well-written central idea (CI) of Cinderella might say something like: "The story of Cinderella reveals that people who are kind and patient are often rewarded for their good deeds." On the other hand, a poorly written central idea for the story might state: "Cinderella is the story of a poor, servant girl who overcomes the cruelty of her family and lives happily ever after with Prince Charming." This is a weak example because specific characters are either alluded to or named--a CI must be generic and universally applicable.
For the Wizard of Oz, instead of saying that it is "about a girl named Dorothy who learns to appreciate the life that she has," you might say something like: "The Wizard of Oz reveals that when people lose sight of reality, they sometimes forget to appreciate the beauty of their everyday lives."
Examples of poorly written central ideas:
* Jackson's tale suggests that Tessie was treated unfairly (not generic or universal).
* Oates' story is about how people react to tragedy (needs more cause and effect).
Better: Some people react to tragedy by inciting others to take action to avoid the next one.
* The central idea is that you can’t trust people because they will sometimes try to deceive you (omit second person).
* Hemingway suggests that some people feel that the grass is always greener on the other side (omit clichés).
Examples of well-written central ideas:
* The story reveals that the overwhelming desire of a one-sided infatuation can blindly drive people to seek intimacy in the name of love.
* The central idea is that a person who has difficulty dealing with reality will sometimes escape into a fantasy world.
To identify the central idea, one must also look at the other elements of fiction (plot, characters, setting, conflict, etc.) to explain how the author has tied all of these together. In order to understand the central idea of the story, ask yourself the following questions:
How is the central idea expressed through the characters, setting, point of view, tone, language, or conflict?
In what way does the resolution of the conflict express the story's central idea?
What does the story reveal about society, grief, gender roles, racial conflict, cultural expectations, or the time period in which the story takes place?
Remember, there is single interpretation of a CI or one way to express the central idea of a story (but some CIs are definitely better than others). The best stories have multiple levels of meaning and require MORE THAN ONE READING before the central idea becomes clear.
Helpful Links About the Elements of Fiction
POV, Setting, Character, Conflict
Language Devices Cheat Sheet