Looking for some help on my thesis statement about The Yellow Wallpaper?

Question

Right now my thesis statement is so lame lol. We are supposed to write a thesis about the theme or meaning of The Yellow Wallpaper. Here is my really bad thesis statement so far..

"Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper to demonstrate how imprisonment can lead to insanity."

First of all, I am not sure this theme is 100% correct so if not let me know how I can change it that would make it correct. Second of all I just need some help lol I HATE writing thesis statements...so thanks in advance for any input.

Answer 1

I had to write the EXACT same paper... I hate theme, lol. Try expanding it, and include briefly a basic idea of what will be in each paragraph. The thesis statement should be the backbone of your paper and the topic sentence of each pargraph should directly refer back to the thesis.
For each paragraph you need a distinct idea, like HOW the author gets this theme across, what methods, etc. You can breifly include these things in your thesis.
For example:

"Gilman's use of symbolism, plot and conflict help to get across her theme of...."

Just an example, that's what I had to do; may not be what you have to do. Of course, you'll have to use details from the story to support your theme, just make sure that it relates back to the thesis.

For your theme, you might want to tweak it a little. What does the imprisonment symbolize? Maybe the opression of women during her time? If you look through the story, you may see other symbols that tie into this, such as the wallpaper itself and the scene at the end where she crawls over her husband (not sure if it was her husband). You might want to consider these things. Hope I helped!

Answer 2

Have you tried an outline.

Start with your 1st statement now write out one line statements about what you think supports it include page numbers if possible.

Go at this until you have gone to the end of the book. Then write a statement that is the direct opposite of your first statement and do the same thing.

After that put your list aside and do something else for a day or two. Then pick up your list and see if they still make sense to you then build on your topic and find other examples of your theory and talk to your advisers they may give you direction's that you haven't thought of. Also don't be afraid to put in things that might contradict your original idea just be ready to refute them and show support for your original idea.

I hope that this makes sense to you. I wish you good luck.

Answer 3

You may find this article about "The Yellow Wallpaper" helpful. My AP teacher gave us this last year when we read it:

http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/whyyw.html

I think you're on the right track with your thesis. While it isn't necessarily exciting, it doesn't have to be. You should write so that your content makes the paper interesting - not so much that it needs to sound incredibly exciting. Just make sure to put the necessary quotation marks around "The Yellow Wallpaper."