Literature Analysis Thesis Statements

The most important part of your essay is the thesis statement. Your thesis statement lays the framework for the rest of your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, consider the three P’s:

Prompt: is your thesis actually addressing the prompt you have chosen to write on? Your thesis must relate to the key concept in the prompt. For instance, if the prompt asks about power and authority, then you need to reference power and authority in your thesis.

Provable: You need to be able to prove your thesis through textual support (examples and quotes). Be sure they are worthy of being proven; for instance, it is not necessary to prove that Lady Catherine is snobby since no one would disagree with you.

Purpose: You should state why the author creates a situation or why he/she does what he/she does. What is the purpose of the author’s writing? This is called thematic purpose and should also reflect a major theme in the work. Purpose is the most important part of your thesis. This should show how the message of the novel is universal and goes beyond the author’s text.

All thesis statements must take some type of bold leap forward in making a claim about the book or author. This is how you add purpose in your thesis statement; it takes critical thinking on your part and the willingness to be bold (like Indiana Jones). I can’t tell you what the purpose of your thesis statement is! Only you can do that!

Example:

Fact: In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, many characters attempt to avenge the death of their loved ones to limiting degrees of success.

Elaborate Fact: In his play Hamlet, Shakespeare shows how both Hamlet, an overly-philosophical prince, and Laertes, a man of rash action with little thought, both implement flawed plans for avenging their fathers’ deaths.

Thesis Statement: In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare contrasts Hamlet’s philosophical obsession with existence with Laertes’ temper and rash behavior to demonstrate that regardless of its justification or execution, vengeance is truly futile.

Remember, a good thesis statement goes beyond the

text and becomes universal!