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18.3 Writing a Strong Thesis Statement That Makes an Interpretive Argument

In organizing your Literary Interpretation Essay, you need to develop a unique, focused topic and a thesis statement that makes an interpretive argument. When coming up with your thesis statement about a literary work, you want your argument to be relevant, focused, and unique. A strong thesis statement avoids the obvious. In other words, you won’t try to argue a conclusion that most readers could reach on their own from a general knowledge of the work. In choosing your topic, you want your essay to be about something that matters —to you, to the human condition. This may involve larger issues that relate to social class, family dynamics, gender, race, economics, education, religion, psychology, politics, law, history, and so on.

A strong literary thesis statement should be

Example : “While most people reading Hamlet think he is the tragic hero , Ophelia is the real hero of the play as demonstrated through her critique of Elsinore’s court through the language of flowers.”

This thesis takes a position. There are those who could argue against this idea.

Example : Through his portrayal of contrasting river and shore scenes in Huckleberry Finn , Mark Twain suggests that to find the true expression of American ideals, one must leave ‘civilized’ society and go back to nature.

Through this very specific yet concise sentence, readers can anticipate the text to be examined ( Huckleberry Finn ), the author (Mark Twain), the literary device that will be focused upon (description of river and shore scenes) and what these scenes show (true expression of American ideals can be found in nature).

Rooted in observations about how the author used formalist elements in the literary work

Example : The simplistic symbolism of the letter “A” in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter breaks down as the novel progresses, which illustrates the complexity of Hester and Pearl.

In this thesis statement, the literary device of symbolism provides the focus for the interpretive argument (the complexity of the main character and her daughter).

A literary thesis statement should not be

Overly broad or generalized.

Example : “I am going to be writing about “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe.”

While we know what text and author will be the focus of the essay, we know nothing about what aspect of the essay the author will be focusing upon, nor is there an argument here.

More about society than the work of literature

Example : “Gender roles are bad and should be abolished.”

This may be well and true, but this thesis does not appear to be about a work of literature. This could be turned into a thesis statement if the writer is able to show how this is the theme of a literary work (like “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid) and root that interpretation in observable data from the story in the form of literary devices.

A statement about history rather than about literature

Example : Ophelia in Hamlet represents how women did not have any power back then.

Students sometimes want to try to make an argument about “life back then.” This sets up an impossible dilemma in that we can’t prove a history-based argument using only a literary text. Additionally, this statement does not specify the historical period and location: does “back then” refer to the setting and time period of the play: Denmark at some point in the 14th century? does it refer to Shakespeare’s England under the reign of Elizabeth I when the play was written and first performed? or does it refer to England under the reign of James I when the play was first published? Finally, the beliefs about history are overgeneralized—some women did have some political and economic power in all of these time periods; categories like age, ability, rank, social class, and race come into play as well; and the term “power” is not clearly defined. When you craft your interpretation essay, compose an argument that hinges upon collecting evidence from the literary work, and, if you do make some claims about history, be sure that you have scholarly sources to support them.

A summary or obvious statement about the text

Example : “ Hamlet is about a prince, and his father has died.”

Yes, this is true, but it is not debatable. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who could argue against this statement.

An evaluation, or judgment, about the quality of the work

Example : “‘La Migra’ by Pat Mora is a really powerful poem.”

This may very well be true. But the purpose of a literary critic is not to judge the quality of a literary work, but to make analyses and interpretations of the work based on observable structural aspects of that work.

About the author rather than about literature

Example : “Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving were both creepy towards women in their personal lives but in different ways.”

Again, this might be true, and might make an interesting essay topic, but unless it is rooted in textual analysis, it is not within the scope of a literary analysis essay.

Sample Thesis Statements

So what does a strong thesis statement look like? Below, we provide some examples. These sample thesis statements are presented as guides, not as required forms or prescriptions.

As a reminder, literary interpretation is grounded in formalist analysis. A formalist analysis considers the elements that make up a literary work, such as genre, character, structure, theme, setting, and literary devices. One strategy for composing your thesis statement, then, is to frame it as an analysis of how the author has crafted one or more of the formalist elements of the literary work.

An additional component of literary interpretation can be the application of theoretical lens, such as Postcolonial or Feminist.

Examples of Strong Thesis Statements

In Romeo and Juliet , Shakespeare’s famous play about star-crossed lovers, Rosaline is a catalyst. Though she never appears onstage, Rosaline’s disinterest in passion and romantic love drives Romeo’s affair with Juliet.

In late 2021, Amazon Prime released an adaptation of Cinderella starring Camila Cabello as a would-be fashion designer who makes “Dresses by Ella.” Josefina Lopez’s play Real Women Have Curves , which proceeds the Amazon movie by decades, could also be defined as a Latina Cinderella story in terms of the characters (Estela and Ana, in particular), the premise of the plot, the setting of the sewing factory and the work and discussions centered on the dresses, and the theme of dreams.

Samuel Beckett’s Endgame reflects characteristics of Theatre of the Absurd to comment on society’s dissatisfaction with modernity.

Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour” employs the “unity of effect” that Poe outlines in his essay “Philosophy of Composition,” wherein he sets forth guidelines for writing short fiction.

August Wilson’s Fences uses the dramatic conventions of dialogue and monologue to portray generational perspectives when it comes to Troy’s and Cory’s ideas about race and social mobility.

There is a division between the women characters in Real Women Have Curves when it comes to career, education, sex, and self-image: Ana defines herself as a feminist, college student, and aspiring writer. Estela is an aspiring businesswoman. The older women define themselves as wives and mothers. In Lopez’s play, the common challenges that unite these women come from men: abusive partners, threatening ICE agents, and exploitative employers. It is significant to the feminist message of the play that these characters are only discussed by the women; they never appear onstage.

The Process of Discovery Includes Asking Questions

A challenging aspect of composing a thesis statement is that you’re asked to write it before you know what you think, while you’re still in the process of discovery. One strategy, then, can be to write your potential interpretive argument not as a declarative statement but as a list of observations and any questions that are prompted by those observations. For example:

Examples of Observations and Questions

OBSERVATIONS : The play Real Women Have Curves pays attention to women’s bodies—from the title on the cover page to the end tableau on the stage. At several points in the play, the women suggest their awareness of the potential for their bodies to be exploited, used, and unappreciated—by men, by the dress company owners, and even by themselves. When the machines break down, and they do so frequently, the women rely upon their bodies to get the work done instead.

QUESTION : What is this play saying about women’s bodies, power, and control?

OBSERVATIONS : Although they are all members of the same family, Carmen, Ana, and Estela have varied experiences with to immigration when it comes to: their journeys from Mexico (keeping in mind that the play suggests they did not make the journey together), their experiences getting their green cards (or not), their feelings about themselves, their feelings toward others, their level of internalized fear of la migra / fear of being deported, their progress toward their dreams, and their comfort level with movement at all (e.g. going away to college, leaving the sewing factory).

QUESTIONS : What arguments can be made about how their experiences with immigration compare and contrast? Does the playwright craft the play this way in order to have multiple messages when it comes to immigration? Do their experiences depend upon their age? their birth order?

OBSERVATIONS : Food is ever-present in Real Women Have Curves —homemade foods are brought to work; McDonald’s, Burger King, and other fast foods are mentioned; characters run to the bakery or the lunch truck to buy food for themselves and others.

QUESTIONS : Is food even more present in the play than the fear of being taken by ICE agents? Does food come into the scenes as the ultimate comfort food when the women fear for their safety? Is food there in times of celebration and happiness as well? Are there multiple functions of food in Real Women Have Curves , and, if so, what are they?

Committing to a Thesis Statement: Say Yes to the Speed-Dating Exercise

This exercise can be productive at any point of the writing process, but it is particularly productive in the early stages of writing, when you are trying to figure out your argument. Here’s how it works. Your instructor sets up the classroom so that desks are facing each other in pairs. The students in one row will remain stationary; the students in the other row will move.

The speed dating exercise happens rapidly. You will have one minute to explain your thesis to the person sitting across from you. Then you will have one minute to listen to the person across from you explain their thesis. After that, you will move on to the next person and start all over again.

At first you may have difficulty nailing down your argument in 60 seconds. You may do too much throat clearing or providing of irrelevant information. You may want to talk about your frustrations or hesitancies rather than your argument. But eventually, you should have stated your thesis so many times that you have achieved greater conciseness and clarity. At this point, grab a piece of paper and write down your thesis so that you can transpose it into your paper.

This technique can also work for counterarguments, concluding thoughts, or points in your paper that are giving you particular trouble.

Continue Reading: 18.4 Outlining Your Main Points

Composition for Commodores Copyright © 2024 by Mollie Chambers; Karin Hooks; Donna Hunt; Kim Karshner; Josh Kesterson; Geoff Polk; Amy Scott-Douglass; Justin Sevenker; Jewon Woo; and other LCCC Faculty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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What is a Thesis Statement and How to Write It (with Examples)

A thesis statement is basically a sentence or two that summarizes the central theme of your research. In research papers and essays, it is typically placed at the end of the introduction section, which provides broad knowledge about the investigation/study. To put it simply, the thesis statement can be thought of as the main message of any film, which is communicated through the plot and characters. Similar to how a director has a vision, the author(s) in this case has an opinion on the subject that they wish to portray in their research report.

In this article, we will provide a thorough overview on thesis statements, addressing the most frequently asked questions, including how authors arrive at and create a thesis statement that effectively summarizes your research. To make it simpler, we’ve broken this information up into subheadings that focus on different aspects of writing the thesis statement.

What is a thesis statement?
What should a thesis statement include (with examples)?
How to write a thesis statement in four steps?
How to generate a thesis statement?
Types of thesis statements?
Key takeaways
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement, in essence, is a sentence that summarizes the main concept the author(s) wishes to investigate in their research. A thesis statement is often a “question/hypothesis” the author(s) wants to address, using a certain methodology or approach to provide sufficient evidence to support their claims and findings. However, it isn’t necessarily the topic sentence (first sentence) in a research paper introduction, which could be a general statement.

Returning to our movie analogy, a thesis statement is comparable to the particular viewpoint a director wants to convey to his audience. A thesis statement tells the reader the fundamental idea of the study and the possible course it will take to support that idea. A well-structured thesis statement enables the reader to understand the study and the intended approach, so both its placement and clarity matter here. An appropriately placed thesis statement, usually at the end of an introductory paragraph, ensures the reader will not lose interest. A thesis statement plays another crucial role, it summarizes the main idea behind the study so that readers will understand the question the author is trying to answer. It gives the reader some background information and a sense of the topic’s wider context while also hinting at the work or experimental approach that will come next. To summarize, thesis statements are generally that one key phrase you skim over to rapidly understand the thesis of a study.

What should a thesis statement include (with examples)?

Now that we have understood the concept, the next step is learning how to write a good thesis statement. A strong thesis statement should let the reader understand how well-versed you are, as an author, in the subject matter of the study and your position on the topic at hand. The elements listed below should be considered while crafting a statement for your thesis or paper to increase its credibility and impact.

The author should take a position that a sizable portion of the readership may disagree with. The subject should not be a well-known, well-defined issue with just unanimity of view. This form of thesis statement is typically viewed as weak because it implies that there is nothing substantial to investigate and demonstrate. To pique readers’ interest, the thesis statement should be debatable in some way, and the findings should advance the body of knowledge.
A review of pertinent literature on the subject is a must in order for the author to establish an informed opinion about the questions they wish to pose and the stance they would want to take during their study, this is the basis to develop a strong thesis statement. The authors of the study should be able to support their statements with relevant research, strengthening their stance by citing literature.
The thesis statement should highlight just one main idea, with each claim made by the authors in the paper demonstrating the accuracy of the statement. Avoid multiple themes running throughout the article as this could confuse readers and undermine the author’s perspective on the subject. It can also be a sign of the authors’ ambiguity.
The main objective of a thesis statement is to briefly describe the study’s conclusion while posing a specific inquiry that clarifies the author’s stance or perspective on the subject. Therefore, it is crucial to clearly establish your viewpoint in the statement.

Based on the considerations above, you may wonder how to write a thesis statement for different types of academic essays. Expository and argumentative essays, the most common types of essays, both call for a statement that takes a stand on the issue and uses powerful language. These kinds of thesis statements need to be precise and contain enough background material to give a comprehensive picture of the subject. However, in persuasive essays, which typically integrate an emotive perspective and personal experiences, the opinions are presented as facts that need supporting evidence. The sole difference between argumentative and expository essays and persuasive essays is that the former require the use of strong viewpoints, while the latter does not. Last but not least, the thesis statement for a compare-and-contrast essay addresses two themes rather than just one. Authors can choose to concentrate more on examining similarities or differences depending on the nature of the study; the only caveat is that both topics must receive equal attention to prevent biases.

How to write a thesis statement in four steps?

Coming up with a research question might be challenging in situations when the research topic is not decided or it’s a new field of study. You may want to delve deeper into a widely researched subject, continue with your current research, or pursue a topic you are passionate about. If you don’t have a thesis statement yet, here are four easy stages to get you started.

Start with a working thesis statement : Writing the statement is not so straightforward; you won’t magically write the final thesis statement at once. It is preferable to choose an initial working thesis after reviewing relevant literature on the topic. Once you have chosen a subject that interests you, attempt to think of a specific query that has not been raised or that would be fascinating to contribute to the body of literature. For example, if you are writing an article or paper about ChatGPT, you could want to look into how ChatGPT affects learning among students. You can even get more specific, like, “How does ChatGPT harm learning and education?”
Outline your answer (your positioning on the subject): Based on your review of past research, you would form an opinion about the subject—in this example, the effect of ChatGPT on students’ learning—and then you write down your tentative answer to this question. If your initial response is that ChatGPT use has a detrimental impact on education and learning, this would serve as the foundation for your research. Your study would include research and findings to support this assertion and persuade the reader to accept your hypothesis.
Provide evidence to support your claim : The goal of your study should be to back your hypothesis with enough evidence, relevant facts and literature, to support your claim and explain why you selected that particular response (in this case, why you believe that ChatGPT has a negative impact on learning and education). The focus should be on discussing both the benefits and drawbacks of using ChatGPT and demonstrating why the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. An argumentative thesis statement example on the same topic would be that, despite ChatGPT’s enormous potential as a virtual learning tool for students, it has a detrimental effect on their creativity and critical thinking skills and encourages problematic behaviors like cheating and plagiarism.
Polish your thesis statement: After outlining your initial statement, improve it by keeping these three elements in mind.
Does it make it clear what position you hold on the subject?
Does it effectively connect the various facets of the study topic together?
Does it summarize the key points of your narrative?

The thesis statement will also gain from your comments on the approach you will employ to validate your claim. For example, the aforementioned thesis statement may be clarified as “Although ChatGPT has enormous potential to serve as a virtual tutor for students and assistant to instructors, its disadvantages, such as plagiarism and the creation of false information, currently outweigh the advantages.” This particular illustration offers a thoughtful discussion of the subject, enabling the author to make their case more persuasively.

How to generate a thesis statement?

No matter how complicated, any thesis or paper may be explained in one or two sentences. Just identify the question your research aims to answer, then write a statement based on your anticipated response. An effective thesis statement will have the following characteristics:

It should have a take on the subject (which is contentious/adds to existing knowledge)
It should express a main topic (other themes should only be included if they connect to the main theme)
It should declare your conclusion about the issue
It should be based on an objective, broad outlook on the subject.

To understand how to write a thesis statement from scratch, let’s use an example where you may want to learn about how mental and physical health are related.

Since the subject is still broad, you should first conduct a brainstorming session to acquire further thoughts. After reading literature, you determine that you are curious to learn how yoga enhances mental health. To develop a compelling thesis statement, you must further narrow this topic by posing precise questions that you can answer through your research. You can ask, “How does yoga affect mental health. What is the possible mean”? This topic makes it plain to the reader what the study is about but it is necessary for you to adopt a position on the issue. Upon further deliberation, the premise can be rephrased as “Yoga, a low impact form of exercise, positively impacts people’s mental health by lowering stress hormones and elevating healthy brain chemicals.” This clearly states your position on the topic. Finally, you may further develop this into a clear, precise thesis statement that asks, “Does practicing yoga induce feel-good hormones and lower the stress hormone, cortisol, that positively affects people’s mental health?” to turn it into a study.

Types of thesis statements?

The three primary categories of thesis statements are analytical, expository, and argumentative. You choose one over the other depending on the subject matter of your research or essay. In argumentative thesis statements, the author takes a clear stand and strives to persuade the reader of their claims, for example, “Animal agriculture is the biggest driver of climate change.” It is specific, concise, and also contentious. On the other hand, the purpose of an expository thesis statement is to interpret, assess, and discuss various facets of a subject. Here you shortlist the key points of your interpretation, and state the conclusion based on the interpretation you drew from the study. An analytical thesis statement aims to discuss, glean information on the subject, and explain the facts of the topic. Here, the goal is to critically analyze and summarize the points you will cover in the study.

Key takeaways

A good thesis statement summarizes the central idea of your thesis or research paper.
It serves as a compass to show the reader what the research will contend and why.
Before creating a thesis statement, keep in mind that the statement should be specific, coherent, and controversial.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

A thesis statement can be defined as a sentence that describes the main idea of the research or thesis to inform the reader of the argument the research will pursue and the reason the author adopts a specific stance on the subject. Essentially, it expresses the author’s judgment or opinion based on a review of the literature or personal research experience.

Any academic essay or research piece must have a thesis statement since it directs the research and attracts the reader’s attention to the main idea of the subject under discussion. In addition to confining the author to a specific subject, so they don’t veer off topic, it also enables the reader to understand the topic at hand and what to expect.

To create an impactful thesis statement, simply follow these four easy steps. Start by creating a working statement by posing the question that your research or thesis will attempt to answer. Then, outline your initial response and choose your position on the matter. Next, try to substantiate your claim with facts or other relevant information. Finally, hone your final thesis statement by crafting a cogent narrative using knowledge gained in the previous step.

Ideally the thesis statement should be placed at the end of an introduction of the paper or essay. Keep in mind that it is different from the topic sentence, which is more general.

We hope this in-depth guide has allayed your concerns and empowered you to start working craft a strong statement for your essay or paper. Good luck with drafting your next thesis statement!

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