1. Starting your coursework

2. Before trying to develop a thesis, ask yourself: what do I want to write about, and why?
E.g.
Portrayal/development of protagonists
Shifting dynamics of relationships
Challenges to (masculine/patriarchal) power?
Non-conformism
Outsiders
Construction of (racial/sexual/gender) identity

3. Now ask yourself: how will I explore these aspects?
Narrative form/structure
Narrative voice/POV
Genre (the quest narrative; bildungsroman; thriller...)
Figurative language/symbolism/motifs
Setting

4. The Thesis
Your thesis is your central argument; it is the “big idea” of which you want to convince your reader.
The thesis is, in a sense, you saying “this is what the texts are about,” beyond the obvious things that (nearly) everyone would agree on.

5. Example: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Plot: Young teenager Huck Finn fakes his death in order to escape from his drunken and abusive father. He leaves on a raft and begins a journey down the Mississippi River. Early in his trip, he meets the slave Jim, who is also on the run for fear he will be accused of Huck’s death.

6. Thesis
The Mississippi River is a symbol of both an emergent national identity and individual identity. The river is fluid, as is identity itself. It promises freedom – so central to the mythic “American Dream” – and symbolizes Huck’s need for travel and adventure. However, while the river suggests Huck’s rootlessness, as one of the largest rivers in the United States it keeps him forever connected to – and part of – America.