Since your ultimate thesis will take a position on the topic you choose, you'll want to choose something that is broad enough to support with various evidence from the text yet narrow enough that it's manageable. This book is full of rich material that can be somewhat controversial, so you have lots of choices. Choose something that really interests you so that the position you take on the topic is meaningful.
A broken educational system: How does J.D.'s experience show the flaws in our American educational system? How did American high schools fail him, or did they?
The socialization of young children: How does J.D.'s experience within his family and their acquaintances shape his views of the world? Consider the following quote from chapter 5:
Mom and Bob weren't all that abnormal. It would be tough to chronicle all the outbursts and screaming matches I witnessed that had nothing to do with my family. My neighbor friend and I would play in his backyard until we heard screaming from his parents, and then we'd run into the alley and hide . . . Seeing people insult, scream, and sometimes physically fight was just a part of our life.
Cycles of poverty: How do the experiences of J.D. and his Mawmaw in particular show the difficulties of breaking a cycle of poverty? Why does poverty seem to follow families from one generation to the next, and how did J.D. finally break it himself? What was different about him or his circumstances?
The complexities of family relationships: J.D. presents various family members as neither completely negative nor completely endearing. Choose a character (his mother would be a great example here) and consider how J.D. portrays both the negative and the positives in that person—and then what that says about their relationship or about his own character.
If I am understanding you correctly, you are looking for a topic to write a paper about for this memoir. A thesis itself is a theory put forth by the author of a paper that the paper (sometimes called a "thesis paper") then goes on to prove by citing evidence from within the text and outside sources. I can't tell you what you believe about the story, so it will be up to you to come up with your own thesis, but I can give you some ideas that can get the ball rolling.
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance is a look at life in Appalachia. Once a place with plentiful industrial jobs in coal mining and factories, changing times have turned Appalachia into a place of poverty and hardship. Perhaps your thesis could discuss the impact coal mining had on both the growth and decline of this area of the country.
Another idea could have to do with the main point of the story: Vance's family. How and why is Vance's family important? Are they really "hillbillies," as the title and author imply? Do you think that being brought up by his Mamaw instead of his mother enabled Vance to find a better life outside of the hardships of Appalachia?
You could also perhaps think of juxtaposing Vance's Appalachian life to the upper-middle-class life he settles into at the end of the story. Do you think that Vance himself is a hillbilly? Why or why not?
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