I am writing a thesis paper about The Stranger, and was having trouble thinking of a thesis or thesis ideas? It's about a man whose mom dies and...

The Stranger, the first novel of
French writer Albert Camus, is an example of the existentialism philosophy of the 20th
century. It will help you formulate a thesis if you know something about existentialism,
since Camus was one of the most famous authors who infused his writings with
existentialist thinking. Very basically, existentialists (look it up) believed that we
weren't born with our SELF already in us, as Sigmund Freud did, but rather that our SELF
evolved from our experiences. Also, existentialists believed that each of us is not a
detached observer of life but that we are open to experiences and can see every detail
of life. We are immersed in life! This is one of the reasons that the main character in
The Stranger describes his experiences with such excruciating,
painful detail. Freedom of choice in how we act in life and how we develop in life is
also very important in existentialism. We make life choices all the
time!

Remember that your thesis in the paper is the
one major idea, or argument, that your paper will be
focused on. Once you state your thesis in the introductory (first) paragraph of your
paper, the "body" of your paper (all the other paragraphs in it except for the final
one, the conclusion) must discuss about three examples of how your thesis occurred in
the literary work. Each body paragraph will deal with one of the supporting examples
you'll discuss.

For example, let's say that your thesis, or
major argument, is: "The existentialist philosophy is infused throughout Albert Camus'
novel, The Stranger." Now, can you think of three examples in the
book that support this thesis statement? How about one paragraph to discuss how the main
character was so observant of details in his life? Then how about another paragraph to
discuss how his SELF was not as clear in the beginning of the book as it was at the end,
since he grew from his experiences throughout the book? Then how about a third paragraph
that discusses how the character made choices in life and must now live with those
choices?