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Driftwood

Maribel knew that her little brother Marco was prone to exaggeration. So she took his description of the so-called "Ocean Man" with a grain of salt.
"He's ten feet tall," Marco said. "And his hair is long and green and full of seaweed."
The story was ludicrous, but Maribel had to admit that it was also sort of creepy. With the dark waves crashing against the rocks, and the cold waters reaching up to her ankles, the thought of a strange man emerging from the turbulent waters was ominous.
It was then that she noticed a strange piece of driftwood that had washed ashore. Maribel was attracted to its curved, crescent shape.
"It looks like a moon," she observed.
"No," Marco said excitedly. "It's a boomerang! Give it to me!"
Marco reached for the driftwood, but Maribel was too quick for him. She grabbed it and dangled it high over Marco's head, where he couldn't reach it. His attempts to take it from her were futile.
All of a sudden, something else caught Marco's attention. He pointed past Maribel in the direction of the lighthouse on the beach.
Maribel turned to see a tall man with long, unkempt hair. He was walking toward them.
"The Ocean Man!" Marco shouted. Then he took off running along the beach in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, the tall man with the long hair was calling out to Maribel. "What have you got there?" he asked. "May I see it?"
Maribel handed the piece of driftwood to the man. "I think it looks like the moon," she said, "but my idiot brother thinks it's a boomerang."
The man laughed. "This piece of wood represents different things to different people. It also supports the insect and plant life here on the beach, thanks to the time it spent in the ocean, absorbing nutrients."
"I didn't know that," Maribel said. She turned to see what had become of her brother. He hadn't stopped running, and was by now no more than a diminutive speck on the beach.
"So what do you think?" the man asked her. "Is it a moon or a boomerang, or both?"
"I think it's just going to be driftwood," she said.
The man smiled. Then he put the driftwood back on the beach where it belonged.

Grade 6 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, CCRA.W.10, RL.6.2, W.6.10

How does the main character's decision that the driftwood is just driftwood relate to the story's theme?

Question Info

Main Idea Question

Grade 6 Main Idea CCSS: CCRA.R.2, CCRA.W.10, RL.6.2, W.6.10