Understanding Thesis Statements
Defining Thesis Statements "A thesis statement [is] a central idea phrased in the form of an assertion.  It is basically a claim statement–that is, it indicates what you claim to be true, interesting, or valuable about your subject." (Harbrace 363)
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Creating a Good Thesis Statement Make your thesis . . . 
  • focused
  • debatable
  • divisible

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Focusing Your Thesis A thesis that is general or vague creates logical problems, has little force as an argument, and thus often baffles the reader. Consider the following examples. 
 
  Ex. 1-A Women play an important role in Tartuffe.

Although this is a legitimate (though not terribly enlightening) claim about the play, it is so vague that it baffles the reader. For example, what specific "role" do the women "play"?  All the women?  Just Dorine?  Even Madame Pernelle?  And, just what exactly does the modifier "important" signify?  (Indeed, you should never use the word "important" in any part of your paper and certainly not in the thesis because it signifies next to nothing.)  A little focus, however, can prevent such bafflement.
 
  Ex. 1-B Elmire, Mariane and Dorine expose the vices of Tartuffe, Valere, and Orgon thus undermining the principle of male-order in Tartuffe.

Notice how example 1-B focuses its argument by naming specific characters from Moliere's Tartuffe.
 
  Ex. 2-A Alienation is important in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Again, although this is a legitimate (though, again, not terribly enlightening) claim, it is so general that it can lead the reader to the withering rejoinder: "So what?" How about something like . . .
 
  Ex. 2-B The destructive element of alienation is embodied by Stella's emotional relationships to Stanley and Blanche, both of whom compete for solidarity with Stella.

 
Opening a Debate Your thesis should open a special kind of debate.  What makes this debate special is that you control it, from beginning to end.  The degree to which you can find and explicate the evidence for your case will determine the degree to which you win the debate. Your thesis must open a debate so that your paper details a debate for you to win.
 
  Ex. 3-A Othello kills Desdemona because he believes that she has had an affair with Cassio.

The problem with this statement is that it cannot be disputed on any grounds; it's a plot fact, and, consequently, no debate can ensue from it.  Another look at this same fact, however, can produce a debatable thesis.
 
  Ex. 3-B Othello's murder of Desdemona is proof that our beliefs can be narrated to us and thereby created by clever storytellers.

This statement is debatable.  Some might argue that Iago does not "create" belief but rather plays on Othello's already suspicious essence.  Others might demand proof that the murder can be causally linked to Iago's storytelling.  In any event, this thesis demands evidence and its explication.

 
Dividing Your Thesis Your thesis should almost automatically divide itself into several subordinate claims that you must, in turn, substantiate with evidence from the text and its explication.
 
  Ex. 4 If, for example, you are working with thesis 2-B, your thesis requires that you establish that
 
  • Blanche and Stanley compete for solidarity with Stella.
  • each experiences some sort of alienation from Stella.
  • the relationships with Stella are the sums of these desires for solidarity coupled with these experiences of alienation.
  • the experience of alienation engenders behavior destructive to the solidarity that constitutes half of the relationship
 
A good thesis, in other words, should help you order the points you must make to write a good paper and thus win your special debate.