Yevgeny Zamyatin's We is often considered one of the foundational dystopian novels of the twentieth century and seems to have established many of the conventions of the genre. In order to work out a good thesis statement, it is worth reflecting on what these conventions are. Many different versions of an unattractive future society can be imagined (H.G. Wells, for example, describes one in The Time Machine), but it is Zamyatin's model that has defined the twentieth-century dystopia. Some of its features include the following:

• An all-powerful state
• Continual and relentless surveillance of all citizens, who therefore have no privacy
• Anonymity and suppression of any individual characteristics
• The discouragement and punishment of personal relationships
• Antipathy toward the natural world

These are all features of the Soviet communist society in which Zamyatin lived. You might, therefore, write your essay around a thesis statement such as this:

Zamyatin's We is a description of 1920s Soviet communism projected into the future.

If you do not wish to take a historical perspective (which would involve additional research), you might prefer a thesis statement such as this:

Zamyatin's dystopian vision is highly mechanistic. In We, he presents the One State's attempt to turn human beings into machines.

The supporting details for this statement could include the features noted above.