From Thematic Statement to Thesis Statement: (What’s the difference?)

Do these Thematic Statements Work? Economic circumstance is what entirely defines social power and standing. The archetype of mysteries/hidden secrets is shown in both Mayor of Casterbridge and Trifles as a driving force. In Hamlet and A Dollhouse women’s power is expressed through the social lens.

A Thematic Statement: Must be a complete sentence. Must be AN OPINION. Must not be specific to a particular text. Must be something that you can support with evidence from the text.

How about these? One’s gender often carries major social implications, which affect one’s treatment and perception in daily life. Throughout history, marriage has been shown to be a necessity in the preservation of one’s social status. Men try to subjugate women because they fear a woman’s spirit.

Let’s fix these: Marriage is a social status. Through the literary works, a connection is revealed between the economic struggles in the author’s lives and the lives of the characters.

. …and these: In the novel Jane Eyre, Jane has to overcome many changes caused by the time period surrounding her. In both The Mayor of Casterbridge and A Dollhouse, the main characters, Michael Henchard and Nora Helmer must adapt to the opinions of society, and their ultimate fates are direct resultants of these adaptations.

NOW, add the THESIS STATEMENT part: A thesis statement relays: Your subject Your purpose Your theme

Like THIS: When one considers the psychological characteristics of both As I Lay Dying and A Dollhouse, it becomes apparent that daughters are influenced more by their fathers than by their mothers.  

Your THESIS may be TWO sentences: Any avid reader comes to understand that in both fiction and drama, often daughters are influenced more by their fathers than by their mothers. A comparison of Faulkner’s Dewey Dell from As I Lay Dying, and Nora Helmer from Ibsen’s play A Dollhouse reveals such influences.  

NOW: Work on YOUR thesis statement.