Main Ideas in short stories  The main idea is the main reason the author wrote the story.  main = important  idea = topic or theme Tips to find the main idea:  brainstorm any important ideas  summarize the story  look for repetition in the story

“An Uncomfortable Bed” Guy de Maupassant  While we are reading, jot down any notes that might help us find the main idea.  Think about…  Any recurring topic or theme.  Why did the author write the story?  Read!

“An Uncomfortable Bed” Guy de Maupassant  Brainstorm: What are the important ideas of “An Uncomfortable Bed?”  Share

Main Idea In Maupassant’s “An Uncomfortable Bed,” the narrator causes his own misfortune when he allows paranoia to get the best of him.

Details (evidence and explanation) “When I arrived, they gave me a princely reception, which at once aroused distrust in my breast.” (1) The narrator’s paranoia sets in when the kind greetings of his friends cause him to unreasonably suspect they are up to no good.

Details (evidence and explanations) “Without doubt they were spying on me. I cast a glance around the walls, the furniture, the ceiling, the hangings, the floor. I saw nothing to justify suspicion. I heard persons moving about outside my door. I had no doubt they were looking through the keyhole.” (1) In the bedroom, the narrator’s paranoia increases. He frantically checks the room and suspects his friends will attack at any moment, even though he finds no evidence of a practical joke.

Details (evidence and explanations) “I dragged all these objects into the very middle of the room, facing the entrance door. “ (2) At the height of his paranoia, the narrator anxiously piles the mattress in the middle of the room, trying to stay one step ahead of his friends and their supposed practical joke.

Details (evidence and explanations) “sprawling over my improvised bed, the dismayed valet, who, while bringing me my morning cup of tea, had tripped over this obstacle in the middle of the floor, and fallen on his stomach, spilling, in spite of himself, my breakfast over my face.” (2) To the narrator’s surprise, his makeshift bed causes the valet to fall on top of him, and he ends up the butt of his friends’ jokes. His paranoia ended up causing the joke.