In the short story "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes, a boy named Roger tries to snatch the purse from the arm of a large woman named Luella Bates Washington Jones. She is too strong for him, though, and instead, he falls flat on his back on the sidewalk. She grabs him and points out that his face is dirty. Upon hearing from Roger that there is no one at his home that tells him to wash his face, Luella tells him that she will see to it that his face gets washed.

Although Mrs. Jones continues to act gruffly with the boy and holds him in a powerful grip, it is obvious that at the point she hears about his deprived background, her attitude changes towards him. She takes him home ostensibly to wash his face, but in fact, she is determined to show him some loving kindness. She not only gives him soap and a towel to wash his face, but she feeds him a meal and gives him ten dollars to buy a pair of shoes. Once he understands her intentions, he no longer attempts to run away. He behaves respectfully. Mrs. Jones confides to him that in her youth, she too did things she is ashamed of. When he leaves Mrs. Jones, Roger is deeply grateful but doesn't know how to express it. Readers get the impression that this chance encounter with Mrs. Jones will change Roger's life.

We see, then, that Luella makes Roger wash his face because she wants to restore self-respect and dignity to him as she gives him a glimpse of the unselfish love that he should have been receiving from his family.

Although Langston Hughes does not explicitly tell us why Mrs. Jones makes Roger wash his face in “Thank you, Ma’m,” we can certainly infer the reason from the story.  We can infer that Mrs. Jones makes Roger wash his face in order to help instill in him a sense of pride and self-worth.

In this story, Mrs. Jones is clearly trying to reform Roger by making him respect himself.  After she initially kicks and shakes him, she stops trying to punish him much and instead tries to rehabilitate him.  When she takes him home, she repeatedly leaves him alone in such a way that he could both take her money and escape.  She is clearly trying to make him feel better about himself so that he will stop trying to commit crimes.

Once we understand this, we can see why Mrs. Jones has Roger wash his face.  His dirty face is a symbol of his life in general.  It shows that he does not respect himself enough to keep clean and it shows that his upbringing has been poor because he has no one at home to teach him to keep clean.  Mrs. Jones wants to reverse this situation.  She wants him to clean his face (and comb his hair) so that he will be presentable and look like someone who can be respected.  If he does this, perhaps he can learn to respect himself as well.

In this story, Roger’s face symbolizes the state of his life and his self-respect.  Mrs. Jones wants him to wash it as a first step to regaining his sense of self-worth so that he can stay out of trouble.

Why does Roger wash his face instead of running in "Thank You, M'am"?

Roger does not run away because he knows that Mrs. Jones will most likely catch him before he makes it out of her house. Also, he knows that there are other roomers in the big house so that it would be very easy for the others to come in to help Mrs. Jones should he think to cause further trouble.

Note that the text mentions that Mrs. Jones is a “large woman,” who has so far managed to “kick Roger in his sitter, and then shake him until his teeth rattled” before dragging him along the streets to her house where she makes him wash his dirty face. She manages to counter Roger’s attack single-handedly, without any help from anybody. This should mean that she is a physically strong woman who can take care of herself. Thus, when she tells Roger to wash his face in her sink, he does exactly as she says. Later, she questions the boy on why he had wanted to steal her pocketbook, prepares a meal that they share, and gives the boy ten dollars to buy a pair of “blue suede shoes” —the reason he gives for wanting to steal her money. She also reminds him not to steal from others again.

Why does Roger wash his face instead of running in "Thank You, M'am"?

In Langston Hughes' short story "Thank You M'am," a teen boy named Roger attempts to steal the purse of a large lady named Mrs. Jones. Roger claims that he is stealing the purse because he would like to buy some "blue suede shoes." Like most teens, Roger is obviously very much aware of how he appears to the world and wearing such trendy shoes would make him seem worldly and important rather than poor and insignificant. His unsuccessful attempt at stealing the purse leads to the unforeseen events which follow. Instead of hauling him off to the police, Mrs. Jones drags Roger to her modest apartment, insisting that he wash his face. When they get inside the "large kitchenette furnished room" Mrs. Jones leaves the door open while pointing to the sink where the boy can wash.

The boy quickly contemplates his choices: "Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink." For possibly the first time in his life someone is actually taking an interest him. It is a crucial point in the story and a crucial point in Roger's life. Had he run, he may have been committed to a life of crime and never again accepted the overtures of friendship which Mrs. Jones is now offering. He very much wants to be acknowledged and cared for. It was a principal reason why he was willing to steal in order to buy a pair of flashy shoes. He admits that there is no one at home at his house and, when Mrs. Jones tells him she will share her dinner with him, he becomes even more willing to please her even though he has ample opportunity to run. Because Mrs. Jones has treated him as a human being Roger is motivated to prove that he is worthy of her kindness and trust:

The woman got up and went behind the screen. The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which she left behind her on the daybed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.

In "Thank You, M'am," why doesn't Roger run away when Mrs. Jones lets him loose to wash his face?

In "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes, Roger intends to steal Mrs. Jones's purse. Mrs. Jones, however, is not about to allow him to get the better of her, and she acts quickly to prevent him from taking her "pocketbook." Roger can't believe his bad luck and is concerned that she will now take him to the police station. He struggles to get loose from her tight grip, but Mrs. Jones has already assessed the situation. She has noticed that his face is dirty and thinks there may be more to this boy than him just being a ruffian. She asks him, "Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?" 

For Mrs. Jones, there are better ways to teach Roger a lesson than taking him to the police, and so she takes him to her home. Roger begins to see that Mrs. Jones, although strict, is different from the average adult. When she loosens her grip around his neck, he cannot make up his mind what to do but decides, rather than run, that he will do as she says and wash his face.

Roger doesn't run because he respects Mrs. Jones's authority and is intrigued by this woman's concern for him and apparent trust in him—despite the fact that he just tried to steal from her. He feels safe with her, and this is a strange feeling for him. Even though he is still not sure what Mrs. Jones intends to do with him, he feels a connection with her and even tells her what he would have done with the money had he managed to steal her purse.

In "Thank You, M'am," why didn't Roger run away, when he had the chance, when Mrs. Jones told him to wash his face?

In "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes, Roger is a young boy who learns a valuable lesson when his efforts to steal Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones's purse backfires on him and she is able to detain him, most unwillingly, when he falls. Mrs. Jones wastes no time in securing him, during which time she assesses the situation and Roger.

At first, Roger squirms and resists Mrs. Jones as she keeps walking, "dragging the frightened boy behind her." Roger  attempts to apologize but his words mean nothing to Mrs. Jones. She is intent on teaching Roger a lesson but right now he does not know what steps she intends to take. He is most concerned that she may take him to the police station so he can be punished for attempting to steal and, even as they approach her house, he is not entirely sure what she intends to do with him. 

Once they go inside, Roger becomes aware of his surroundings, either so that he can make his escape or so that he can understand his situation better. The reader is not entirely sure yet what either of them may be thinking. However, Roger must make a crucial decision. He knows that Mrs. Jones could call for help if he runs, but he has also become more curious as to what she wants for him. Finally, he makes his decision and "looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink." He hopes that it will be worth the risk. He will not be disappointed.