practicalargument3e

Stating an Argumentative Thesis

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When you develop an argumentative thesis about literature, your goal is to state a thesis that has an edge—one that takes a stand on your topic. Like any effective thesis, the thesis of a literary argument should be clearly worded and specific; it should also be more than a statement of fact.

INEFFECTIVE THESIS (TOO GENERAL)	In “A&P,” Sammy faces a difficult decision.
EFFECTIVE THESIS (MORE SPECIFIC)	Sammy’s decision to quit his job reveals more about the conformist society in which “A&P” is set than about Sammy himself.
INEFFECTIVE THESIS (STATES A FACT)	The theme of Hamlet is often seen as an Oedipal conflict.
EFFECTIVE THESIS (TAKES A STAND)	Although many critics have identified an Oedipal conflict in Hamlet, Shakespeare’s play is also a story of a young man who is struggling with familiar problems—love, family, and his future.

Here are three possible thesis statements that you could support in a literary argument:

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” usually seen as a feminist story, is actually a ghost story.
The two characters in August Strindberg’s play The Stronger seem to be rivals for the affection of a man, but they are really engaged in a professional rivalry to see who gives the better performance.
Although many readers might see Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” as the more powerful poem because of its graphic imagery of war, Carl Sandburg’s understated “Grass” is likely to have a greater impact on modern readers, who have been overexposed to violent images.

(For more on developing a thesis statement, see Chapter 7.)