Thesis–Not Plot Synopsis

One of the most common mistakes new college writers make in literature courses is that they produce a plot summary, not a thesis for their essays. When you produce a plot summary, you are only regurgitating the author's words about the events in the story.  When you actually write a thesis, you are creating an explanation of why the author wrote what they wrote, and about the writing devices they used to create the piece of literature. In other words, you are answering a big question about the work, not just creating a synopsis.

For example, if I was writing about the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, I might create a thesis about how as the Joad family moves west to California, Pa's role of family leader gradually being taken over by Ma symbolizes the upheavals workers were facing at the time the novel was written. I might also compare the severe economic crisis we are now facing to the conditions faced by workers in the 1930's and compare and contrast them as a subsection to my thesis.

The possibilities are endless for a thesis; however, usually we are given specific prompts to write from for essay assignments. Read them carefully, and evaluate what your professor is looking for. Professors all have certain themes that they like to stress in class--you must be ready to pick up on these and use them to your full advantage when writing your essays.  Now, I'm not saying to attempt to recreate your professor's take on any specific subject word-for-word; but I am saying to be smart and don't deliberately try and contradict everything your prof has expounded upon or you may find yourself with a disappointing grade. Try to find some middle ground to write from.

The best way to approach writing a thesis is to ask a question, then attempt to answer it. In the example from The Grapes of Wrath, I would ask myself why Steinbeck's characters underwent the changes they did, and how this contributed to the overall message of the novel. Writers almost never write detail in a novel, short story or poem randomly; it's our job as readers to ask questions why the writers use the specific literary devices available to them to create enduring understandings of our human nature through literature.

So for goodness (and grades!) sake, take the time and thought necessary to develop a good thesis. It's the key to learning to write well about literature.  The same skills can be used for many humanities courses as well. If you are having difficulty with developing your thesis, check and see if your college or university offers a writing lab. These are staffed by specially trained students who are strong writers and will be able to help you develop a thesis.