This is my persuasive essay topic: an examination of the key symbols in the novel The Hunger Games. I am unsure of how to write my thesis...

"In the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the author uses several symbols to convey themes."

Yes, this thesis statement would help direct your thoughts and your argument as you persuade readers that the author did, in fact, use symbols to help express the themes of the novel. Your statement offers an opinion that requires support, meaning that it will function as a persuasive thesis statement. Other readers could come along and say, "No, the placement of the objects that you're calling symbols are just random and don't mean much; it's just a popular novel, not a work of literary splendor," and you could spend time in your body paragraphs convincing these naysayers that they're mistaken. You'd show them the patterns and details that they didn't notice about the symbols, and explain how those convey the big ideas (themes) contained in the novel.

However, please let me suggest some ways to make your thesis statement more specific and concise. If you do this, you'll have a better focus for your essay, and you'll find it easier to write.

Right now, your thesis statement is very broad. You're making your job as the writer very difficult when you say that the writer uses "several" symbols to convey multiple "themes." Considering how well the symbols really do operate in this novel, to properly cover this topic, your paper would probably need to be at least twenty pages long. And because you haven't mentioned what the symbols are or what the themes are, your thesis statement doesn't really help you plan your essay around it.

To make your thesis statement more specific (more focused), narrow things down. You might say, for example, "In The Hunger Games, Collins' use of symbolic birds and music express the irrepressible nature of the human spirit." Of course, this is just an example. You can insert any symbols and themes you like into that sentence: "In The Hunger Games, Collins' use of symbolic (certain objects) express the (theme)."

If you try writing your thesis statement this way, then when you go to write your outline and the actual content of your essay, it will be much easier because you won't have to cover so much content or wonder where to start.

However, if you prefer to keep your thesis statement as it is, let me suggest just tightening it up to make it more powerful. Let's look at it one more time. I'm going to put the wordy and weak parts in bold:

"In the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the author uses several symbols to convey themes."

To make your thesis statement shorter, punchier, and more pithy, take out all the unneeded words, and rephrase things so that you're only using specific, powerful, active voice verbs. Like this:

"In The Hunger Games, Collins conveys themes via several symbols."