Simply put, the thesis is a one or two sentence assertion of the argument that you will support in the rest of your paper.

 

It is not a statement of fact (Trenton is the capital of New Jersey), but an arguable proposition (Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is a forerunner of the American hippie movement) that you will seek to prove with the evidence that you present in your essay.

 

A strong thesis statement…

Clearly states your argument.

Identifies the evidence you will use to support your argument.

Indicates the order in which you will present your evidence.

Is specific and includes only what will be discussed in your paper.

Is often found at or near the end of an introductory paragraph.

 

For a critical literary analysis your thesis statement should include the title(s) of the work(s) you will discuss in your paper and the author(s) of those works, as well as what it is that you will argue about those works.

 

Sample literary thesis statements:

 

-The characters and events in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five reflect the author’s own experiences in Dresden during World War II.

 

-In the characters of Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby himself, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby depicts a corrupted version of the traditional American Dream.

 

-Sinclair Lewis’ 1922 novel Babbitt relies upon the author’s use of satire to critique the ignorance, mediocrity and conformity of the American middle class.

 

-Walt Whitman’s created a body of democratic poetry through his simple depiction of the diverse American proletariat using vernacular language.