The Evolution of the Thesis Statement Suppose your English teacher hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain's novel Huckleberry Finn. "This will be easy," you think. "I loved Huckleberry Finn!" You grab a pad of paper and write: Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel. Why is this a weak thesis? Think about what the reader would expect from the essay that follows: you will most likely provide a general, appreciative summary of Twain's novel. But the question did not ask you to summarize, it asked you to analyze. Your professor is not interested in your opinion of the novel, which she probably shares, or in your ability to retell its story, which she knows; instead, she wants you to think about why it's such a great novel--what do Huck's adventures tell us about life, about America, about coming of age, about race relations, etc.? First, the question asks you to pick an aspect of the novel that you think is important to its structure or meaning--for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, the relationships between adults and children, etc. Now you write: In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore. Here's a working thesis with potential: you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. It's still not clear what your analysis will reveal. What meaning does this contrast convey to the reader? Your reader is intrigued, but is still thinking, "So what? What's the point of this contrast? What does it signify?" You do not want the reader to have to figure out the answers to these questions herself. But perhaps you are not sure yet, either. That's fine--begin to work on comparing scenes from the book and see what you discover. Freewrite, make lists, jot down Huck's actions and reactions, etc. Eventually, you will be able to clarify for yourself, and then for the reader, why this contrast matters. After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you confidently write: Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go back to nature. This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation. http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html

The Evolution of the Thesis Statement

Suppose your English teacher hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel:

Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain's novel Huckleberry Finn.

"This will be easy," you think. "I loved Huckleberry Finn!" You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

Why is this a weak thesis? Think about what the reader would expect from the essay that follows: you will most likely provide a general, appreciative summary of Twain's novel. But the question did not ask you to summarize, it asked you to analyze. Your professor is not interested in your opinion of the novel, which she probably shares, or in your ability to retell its story, which she knows; instead, she wants you to think about why it's such a great novel--what do Huck's adventures tell us about life, about America, about coming of age, about race relations, etc.? First, the question asks you to pick an aspect of the novel that you think is important to its structure or meaning--for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, the relationships between adults and children, etc. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

Here's a working thesis with potential: you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. It's still not clear what your analysis will reveal. What meaning does this contrast convey to the reader? Your reader is intrigued, but is still thinking, "So what? What's the point of this contrast? What does it signify?" You do not want the reader to have to figure out the answers to these questions herself. But perhaps you are not sure yet, either. That's fine--begin to work on comparing scenes from the book and see what you discover. Freewrite, make lists, jot down Huck's actions and reactions, etc. Eventually, you will be able to clarify for yourself, and then for the reader, why this contrast matters. After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you confidently write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go back to nature.

This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html