How can I start writing a thesis statement on theme for the short fiction of "A &P""A&P" by John Updike

The first step in writing a thesis statement for any essay
is to determine what will be the focus.  If your professor has given you a prompt, use
it.  If the assignment was left open to you (as in, "Write a 2 page essay analyzing
Updike's 'A&P'", you might find the following steps helpful in leading to a
thesis statement.

First, you should
brainstorm a long list of answers to the following
questions:

• What theme(s) is(are) most prevalent
  in the short story?  (It is acceptable to choose only one, but at most, choose two that
  compliment each other.)


• What literary or rhetorical
  methods does the author use to develop this theme?  (This is where you would analyze
  techniques such as setting, point-of-view,
  symbolism, irony,
  characterization, tone/mood,
  imagery, etc.  Brainstorm as many ideas as possible, including
  examples, then choose your strongest 3.)


• Through 3
  rhetorical techniques, what message is the author trying to send?  What point is he
  ultimately trying to make?  What is the overriding purpose of the short
  story?

Remember, when brainstorming, you want
to get as many ideas out as possible so you have plenty of material to choose from. 
Using your best theme idea with three of the strongest rhetorical techniques, you can
then construct a thesis statement in this fashion:

Using
the three rhetorical techniques of _________, _________, and ________, John Updike is
successful in portraying the message that ______________________ (theme
statement).

This sets you up for a well organized essay of
almost any length, that focuses analysis in three categories which revolve around one
main point.