life. Further, when his sister comes to collect him, she tells him, "Father is so much kinder than he used to be." This is a rather troubling line: was Scrooge sent away by an unkind, even abusive, father? How bad was his very early childhood? How did he come to be totally abandoned in this sad place? We cannot know, but the conditions in which he lived at the boarding school certainly seem to betray either a lack of interest or neglect on his father's part. In thinking of this, we might grow more understanding of Scrooge's desire to acquire money—since money wouldn't abandon him and would, instead, provide him with the security he lacked as a child—especially after Belle breaks it off with him as well.

When writing a thesis statement it's always important to bear in mind that you're putting forward an argument. You need to have something you want to say about the story, then be prepared to argue your case, backing it up with evidence from the text. There are a number of potential arguments you could use in relation to A Christmas Carol. For example, you could argue that Scrooge has only really changed his ways for selfish reasons. In that sense, he remains as selfish at the end of the story as he did at the beginning, albeit with a radically different effect upon other people. The Ghost of Christmas Future gives Scrooge a frightening glimpse of what lies in store if he doesn't mend his ways. He's absolutely terrified at the prospect, genuinely concerned at the fate of his soul. So perhaps it could be argued that Scrooge's dramatic conversion is motivated, not by a genuine desire to improve the lot of his fellow man, but by fear and self-interest. For Scrooge, it's all about doing whatever he can to save himself.

To write a thesis statement for a literary analysis paper on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, begin by thinking about what aspect of the novel you would like to evaluate in depth. The novel is rich with topics for analysis. You might decide to analyze how Dickens develops Scrooge's character; how Dickens uses figurative language; how other characters serve as foils for Scrooge; or how Dickens makes the three Spirits become increasingly scary.

Once you have chosen a specific aspect of the novel to look into, break the subject into three subtopics. Here are some possible divisions for the above topics:

• Dickens uses direct characterization, indirect characterization, and foils to portray Scrooge as a believable character.
• Dickens uses similes, metaphors, and pathetic fallacies to engage readers.
• Scrooge's character comes alive in the novel through the use of many foils, including Marley, Cratchit, and Fred.
• The first Spirit is not scary, the second Spirit is slightly frightening, and the third Spirit is terrifying.

As you can see, such a thesis isn't necessarily arguable in the sense of being controversial. You don't need to find a thesis that many people would disagree with. You just need to pull out an interesting interpretation of the novel or some aspect of the novel and then prove your interpretation using solid examples from the book. Once you have your key point that you want to argue and the three subtopics, you can craft a three-part thesis statement. Starting with an "although" clause or concession clause is a good way to acknowledge that other viewpoints exist.

Here's an example of a three-part thesis statement that includes a concessions clause, thesis, and sentence of division (or map):

Although Dickens uses direct and indirect characterization masterfully in A Christmas Carol, Scrooge becomes a believable character primarily through the use of foils, especially Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit, and Fred.

When writing specifically about the novel A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, here are some interesting questions to help you brainstorm a good argumentative thesis. 

• Has Ebenezer Scrooge truly changed in a permanent way by the end of the novel?
• What is the significance of the theme of time in the novel?
• How do other characters in this novel serve to develop Scrooge as a dynamic, complex character? 
• How are the themes of Greed, Generosity, and Forgiveness developed over the course of the novel? 
• What is the major conflict of the novel? 
• How did Dickens' context influence the creation of A Christmas Carol? 
• What social commentary does Dickens make in his novel? 
• What is the significance of the symbol of music?

Use these as brainstorm questions about the major characters, themes, symbols, conflicts, and elements of the novel to develop a great thesis!

Well, that depends on whether or not your teacher has assigned you a prompt that you should answering with your thesis statement, or if he/she has allowed you to develop your own argument entirely. 

Regardless of whether or not your thesis is in response to a specified prompt, it should always be an argumentative claim. Many people have trouble ensuring that their thesis statements are argumentative, not simply observations or statements of fact. An argumentative thesis claims some sort of connection or relationship between two elements of the text, whether it is a cause-effect, reciprocal, a similarity, a difference, or some other relationship. 

If you are unsure about whether or not your thesis statement is an argument, the easiest "cheat" to check is to include the word "because". This automatically inserts a cause-effect relationship into your thesis statement around which you can build your argument.