Writing About Literature: Thesis Development and Support
A thesis statement states the main idea of an essay; usually appears toward the end of the
introductory paragraph
A strong argumentative thesis should:
1. clearly state your topic as well as the argument that you wish to make about that topic
2. justify or necessitate further discussion/argument
3. be specific
To formulate a strong argumentative thesis:
1. use specific language
2. make an assertion based on clearly stated support
Sample essay assignment:
Kate Chopin, in “The Story of an Hour,” makes a statement regarding the unpleasantness of
life for wives in a patriarchal culture. Discuss Chopin’s characterization of Louise Mallard as
a means to illustrate the oppression inherent in domestic life for married women.
In order to make your thesis concise, ask yourself the following questions:
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How is Mrs. Mallard characterized? Describe her in a few words.
Examine the passages which lend to the characterization of Mrs. Mallard: do they
invoke sympathy for her?
What elements in the story lead us to sympathize with Mrs. Mallard?
Does Mrs. Mallard experience a transformation as the story progresses?
What conclusion do we draw about marriage in the early 20th century from the
characterization of Mrs. Mallard?
What is the point Chopin seeks to make about marriage?
A good thesis statement is specific, concise, and assertive. Your thesis should
indicate very clearly what you will argue, and it should give your reader some idea of
how you will make your argument.
Example #1 (incorrect): In “The Story of An Hour,” Louise Mallard’s husband dies and
she is finally free from feeling oppressed.
Example #2 (correct):
Chopin effectively illustrates the breadth of Louise Mallard’s emotions in the wake of the
news of her husband’s death, from her initial pangs of grief, to her bewildering sense of joy,
and finally to her exhilarated awareness of sudden freedom. Through Louise Mallard’s
transformation from repressed wife to liberated widow, Chopin critiques the oppression
inherent in marriage for wives at the turn of the century.
To determine whether or not your thesis is truly an argumentative one, ask yourself:
1. Is the topic clearly stated, and is the argument you wish to make about it also clearly
stated?
Example #1
Topic: Louise Mallard feels liberated after her husband’s death.
Argument: Here the argument isn’t entirely clear – it looks as if we’ll discuss
Louise’s feeling of liberation following her husband’s death, but there is no
indication of specifically what argument will be made.
Example #2:
Topic: Chopin’s characterization of Louise Mallard, which illustrates that married
life was often oppressive for wives at the turn of the century.
Argument: Because we are privy to the gamut of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions and are
witness to her transformation from grieving widow to free woman, we see that
married life for Louise Mallard, despite the fact that she loved her husband, was
oppressive.
2. Does my thesis statement justify or necessitate further discussion or argument?
Example #1:
No – this is a statement of fact. There is no reason to argue that Louise feels
liberated after her husband dies, because this is explicitly stated in the text.
Example #2:
Yes – some readers might disagree with the fact that Chopin characterizes Louise
Mallard such that we sympathize with her and recognize her as being a victim of an
oppressive marriage. Some readers might argue that we’re not meant to sympathize
with Louise, for example.
3. Is my thesis statement specific?
Example #1:
No – We don’t know what the writer will argue, other than that Louise feels free
when her husband dies.
Example #2:
Yes – We know that the writer will examine the transformation of Louise Mallard,
noting the shifts in her emotions following her husband’s death. The writer will
examine each stage – grieving wife, bewildered widow, and liberated woman –
ultimately arguing that this transformation reveals the fact that Louise was oppressed
throughout her marriage.
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Developing your essay:
In beginning to develop your essay, you must always bear in mind your thesis statement; it
should be the road map for your paper. Ask yourself:
1. What point am I arguing with my thesis statement?
2. How can I support my argument? Where in the text is there evidence to support my
argument?
Thesis statement: Chopin effectively illustrates the breadth of Louise Mallard’s emotions in
the wake of the news of her husband’s death, from her initial pangs of grief, to her
bewildering sense of joy, and finally to her exhilarated awareness of sudden freedom.
Through Louise Mallard’s transformation from repressed wife to liberated widow, Chopin
critiques the oppression inherent in marriage for wives at the turn of the century.
Ask yourself where in the text we get particular insight into the character of Louise Mallard.
Bear in mind as well that we will be examining her characterization at three different stages
in the story; therefore, it makes sense to structure the essay such that you examine first her
sadness at her husband’s death, then that creeping sense of “monstrous joy” she feels as she
sits alone in their room, and finally, the feelings of liberation and pure exhilaration that she
feels. Choose those moments in the text that best illustrate/exemplify each stage of
Louise’s characterization.
Remember, too, the necessary to explicate or analyze the supporting evidence that
you use; explain why or how these moments in the story work to prove your
argument. Always bear in mind your thesis statement, and remember that your
ultimate goal is to successfully prove/illustrate that thesis.
1. Louise Mallard as grieving widow: where in the story is Louise’s grief most evident
and most sympathetically written? In other words, when in the story do we feel most
sorry for Louise in light of her loss?
a. We’re told that she weeps “at once” (76) when she hears the news of her husband’s death.
Explication/Analysis: Why is this significant? What does it illustrate?
Louise’s reaction indicates that she immediately feels the loss of her husband.
b. After Mrs. Mallard goes to her room to be alone, Chopin describes her grief poignantly,
likening her deep sadness to that of a child: “She sat with her head thrown back upon the
cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook
her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams” (77).
Explication/Analysis: What is the effect of Chopin’s use of simile here, comparing
Louise Mallard to a grieving child?
Likening Mrs. Mallard to a devastated child makes her appear more vulnerable, and so we
are moved to sympathize with her.
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c. One of the only physical descriptions that Chopin gives us of Mrs. Mallard notes the fact
that she is young, but her face is lined with wrinkles that speak of “repression and even a
certain strength” (77).
Explication/Analysis: Why is this physical description significant?
Here Chopin draws attention to the fact that Mrs. Mallard has lived a difficult life; the word
“repression” indicates that she has not felt the freedom to express herself.
2. Louise Mallard’s “monstrous joy”: Where in the story does Chopin illustrate Mrs.
Mallard’s confusion as she starts to feel a sense of freedom intermingled with her
loss?
a. Mrs. Mallard looks out the window onto a beautiful spring day, and Chopin’s description
very pointedly echoes a sense of rebirth, rejuvenation, and happiness; later, we’re told that
Mrs. Mallard feels something “coming to her” (77), and that she waits for it “fearfully” (77).
Chopin goes on to describe the “something” as “creeping out of the sky, reaching toward
her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air” (77).
Explication/Analysis: How does this passage illustrate that she’s starting to feel a
sense of freedom but is confused about it?
The fact that Mrs. Mallard feels fearful indicates that perhaps something still holds her back,
while Chopin’s emphasis on the “sounds, the scents, the colors” clearly evokes a kind of
sensuality or re-awakening, particularly in light of the description of the spring-like scene
outside the window.
b. Chopin says that Mrs. Mallard starts to “recognize this thing that was approaching to
possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will – as powerless as her two white
slender hands would have been” (77-8).
Explication/Analysis: What does this passage indicate regarding Louise’s state of
mind?
She’s recognizing that what she’s starting to feel is a sense of rejuvenation, and she’s resistant
to it, but ultimately is unable to repress the feelings that take over her. The fact that she
strives to resist her feelings indicates that she’s still struggling to let go of her sense of
obligation to her husband.
3. Louise Mallard as a liberated woman: In what parts of the story does Chopin
emphasize the contrast between Louise Mallard’s previous life as “Mrs. Mallard” and
the prospect of what life will be like outside of marriage?
a. Mrs. Mallard muses that she will “live for herself” (78) in the years to come.
Explication/Analysis: What does this detail imply about the way she used to live her
life?
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The fact that she’ll now be able to live for herself indicates that throughout her marriage, she
lived for her husband, putting her own needs behind his.
b. Chopin also notes that, “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind
persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will
upon a fellow creature” (78). Directly following this statement, she refers to Louise’s
awareness “in a moment of illumination” that such behavior is “a crime” (78).
Explication/Analysis: Chopin’s use of the word “crime” in reference to Mr. Mallard’s
treatment of his wife clearly emphasizes that Mrs. Mallard has up to this point been a victim.
Referring to Mrs. Mallard’s awareness of this fact as a moment of “illumination” indicates
that she has evolved, gone through a transformation.
c. We’re told that Mrs. Mallard “breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only
yesterday that she had though with a shudder that life might be long” (79).
Explication/Analysis: Obviously, Mrs. Mallard’s sudden desire for a long life (in the wake
of her husband’s death, when the previous day – when her husband was alive – she dreaded
the possibility of a long life) indicates that she feels liberated and alive. For her to think with
a “shudder” that life might be long while her husband was alive further emphasizes the fact
that she must have felt oppressed and stifled within the confines of her marriage.
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Topic sentences
Each of your paragraphs should include a topic sentence, which usually appears at the very
beginning of the paragraph (though it may occasionally appear at the end of the previous
paragraph, also functioning as a transition statement). A topic sentence announces the
main point of the paragraph (i.e. what, specifically, you will argue in the paragraph) and
usually appears at the beginning of the paragraph. Remember: Your topic sentences
should be specific, indicating what issue/idea/topic you will address in your
paragraph.
Thesis statement:
Chopin effectively illustrates the breadth of Louise Mallard’s emotions in the wake of the
news of her husband’s death, from her initial pangs of grief, to her bewildering sense of joy,
and finally to her exhilarated awareness of sudden freedom. Through Louise Mallard’s
transformation from repressed wife to liberated widow, Chopin critiques the oppression
inherent in marriage for wives at the turn of the century.
What will be our first point in arguing this thesis statement?
1. Louise Mallard’s characterization as a grieving widow.
How might we formulate a topic sentence that effectively indicates this
point/subject/idea/topic?
Topic sentence: In the early scenes of the story, Chopin emphasizes Louise Mallard’s
position as a grieving widow.
Thus this paragraph will focus only on Chopin’s characterization of Louise Mallard as a
grieving widow. Let the subpoint be your guide in this case; if you start to move into the
next subpoint in your argument, then you need to start a new paragraph and write a new
topic sentence.
2. Louise Mallard’s monstrous joy
Topic sentence: Louise’s grief soon turns to “monstrous joy” as she struggles to reconcile
her bewildering sense of relief intermingled with the devastation of her loss; Chopin
expresses these contradictory emotions through using language resonant of rebirth to
describe the setting, while at the same time noting Louise’s resistance to such new emotions.
3. Louise Mallard as a liberated woman
Topic sentence: Finally, Louise’s transformation is complete, as she consciously welcomes
the years to come, in which she will “live for herself” (78), as opposed to living under the
oppression of her husband.
Note:
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When constructing topic sentences, hold yourself to the same standards as those
dictating your thesis:
1. Have you clearly stated your topic, indicating the argument that you will
make about that topic?
2. Does your topic sentence justify or necessitate further discussion/argument?
(Topic sentences should not be statements of fact.)
3. Is your topic sentence specific enough to indicate exactly what subpoint you
will argue in the paragraph(s)?
C/F: thesis development – story of an hour.mycopy
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