I am writing an essay comparing and contrasting Soraya and Amir from The Kite Runner. I'm curious about what makes a good thesis.Amir is not...

Quite often, thesis statements for compare and contrast
papers are "blatantly obvious" because they simply state that the writer is going to
look at similarities and differences.  They are often in the form of, "X and Y have many
similarities and differences."  Such thesis statements are lacking in a few
ways. 

First, they provide no purpose for comparing and
contrasting. This lack is rooted in a failure to understand why compare and contrast
essays are assigned to begin with.  They are meant to help a student understand the
value of comparing and contrasting, something we need to do in our everyday lives when
we make choices and decisions.  It's a way of thinking for a purpose!  So, a good thesis
statement should have an explicit or implicit purpose. 

Let
me give you a trivial example.  If I were writing a compare and contrast essay on
oranges and apples, I could say something like, "There are similarites and differences
in apples and oranges."  Or I could say something like, "The consumer choosing between
oranges and apples will find that while both have great benefits, the apple is the
better buy because of price, sugar content, and nutritional value."  Do you see how the
I have implied a purpose in comparing and contrasting the
two? 

And that example leads me to the second point I want
to make about thesis statements.  Do you see how I have listed three reasons to support
my contention?  Those reasons provide a structure that will carry me through my body
paragraphs in an organized way and that will provide the reader with an outline to guide
him or her. 

Now, turning to your thesis in particular,
guilt is an important theme for Amir, and there is the contrasting lack of guilt in
Soraya.  And you have an interesting idea about the consequences in the marriage
resulting from that difference.  So you are off to a great start here with a powerful
point to make about guilt.  The flip side of that, of course, is to ask yourself what
similarities you might talk about, for example, two people raised in the same culture
and religion, both now strangers in a strange land.  Can you weave all of this together
in a statement that gives a purpose to your paper, a powerful point to be made about
guilt or lack therof?  Remember that you should include your means of support for that
idea and use those supporting ideas to structure the paper.  Why don't you draft a
statement and let us have a look at it?