Approved Working Thesis Statements

N.B. Although the following statements are "approved" this does not mean they can't be changed or improved upon.

Joseph B
Johnny got His Gun, Slaughterhouse Five, and The Red Badge of Courage all convey anti-war sentiments by showing how war can affect a man by mutilating him, causing him psychological stress, and giving him a false sense of courage.

Julianna
Dick, Asimov, and Finney all show that acting out of selfishness, especially when given the unique power of time travel, ultimately results in negative effects on the society around them and/or on the time traveler himself.

Elizabeth
Uncle Tom's Cabin, Pudd'nhead Wilson, and Contending Forces show the equality of blacks and whites through stories which raise the unjustly low social status of blacks while loweing the unreasonably elevated status of whites.

Ashley
Catch 22, Slaughterhouse Five, and The Naked and the Dead convey an anti-war mentality by showing the effect of the imminence of death on the soldiers fighting in WWII through the use of realism, satire, and black humor.

Marcella
In O Pioneers!, My Antonia, and A Lost Lady, Willa Cather uses symbolism and characterization to express man's ideal relationship to the land that benefits themselves and their community.

Jennifer
Through their novels, Edith Wharton, Pearl S. Buck, and Louisa May Alcott depict the internal struggle between duty and desire that each man experiences through the normal course of life despite their social circumstances.

Annmarie
Through their portrayal of romantic relationships in post-Reconstruction black communities, the authors of Contending Forces, The Outsider, and Not Without Laughter present divergent views of the black man's quest for happiness in the midst of racial oppression.

Gabriela
Through their depictions of self-righteous ways of life, To Kill Black Boy, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and To Kill a Mockingbird illustrate that some aspects of organized religion were actually contrary to natural law.

Larry
Through his use of satire in The Celebrated Jumping Frog, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain provides a harsh critique of the immaturity of the American people in the mid-19th century.

Peter
In The Long Valley, Travels With Charlie, and The Short Reign of Pippin the IV, John Steinbeck shows that making choices based solely on human selfishness can be harmful to others and lead to ill effects on society.

Naomi
Through the use of immature male protagonists, the authors of A Separate Peace, Catcher in the Rye, and The Outsiders depict the struggles of coming of age in mid-20th century America.

Sean
In his novels, Chaim Potok explores the conflict between tradition and modernity through the intrareligious differences of his characters and how they overcome these differences while still maintaining their faith without compromise.

Olivia
Ellison, Gaines, and Lee each treat the subject of racial injustice by depicting the search for individuality in an oppressive environment.