Drafting an interpretive thesis

A thesis, which nearly always appears in the introduction, announces an essay’s main point. In a literature paper, your thesis will address the central question that you have asked about the work. In drafting a thesis, aim for a strong, assertive summary of your interpretation.

Here are two successful thesis statements taken from student essays, together with the central question each student had posed.

QUESTION

What does Stephen Crane’s short story “The Open Boat” reveal about the relationship between humans and nature?

THESIS

In Stephen Crane’s gripping tale “The Open Boat,” four men lost at sea discover not only that nature is indifferent to their fate but that their own particular talents make little difference as they struggle for survival.

QUESTION

In the Greek tragedy Electra, by Euripides, how do Electra and her mother, Clytemnestra, respond to the limitations society has placed on women?

THESIS

The experience of powerlessness has taught Electra and her mother two very different lessons: Electra has learned the value of traditional, conservative sex roles for women, but Clytemnestra has learned just the opposite.

Exercise:

Thesis statements in literature papers

Related topics:

Focusing an interpretive thesis

Outlining an interpretive paper