Discussion Topic
Analysis of "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes
Summary:
Langston Hughes' short story "Thank You, M'am" explores themes of compassion, trust, and personal transformation. The narrative centers on Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, who encounters a young boy, Roger, attempting to steal her purse. Instead of punishing him, she takes him home, feeds him, and gives him money for the shoes he wanted. Through their interaction, Hughes highlights the impact of kindness and understanding, suggesting that such gestures can lead to personal growth and change in those who receive them.
What is the thesis statement for "Thank You, M'am"?
In any essay, short story or novel, there will at least be a thesis statement which will indicate the writer's own perspective and basically present his or her argument in a nutshell. The thesis statement is intended to persuade the reader towards a particular point of view or to reveal the focus of the story. Having read the thesis statement, the reader will have a better idea of what to expect in the story. It usually appears close to the beginning, even in the first paragraph and gives the reader a hint how the writer intends to deal with the theme.
In Thank You, M'am by Langston Hughes , Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones represents an intuitive, compassionate and honest woman who knows the difference between a boy who is nothing more than a thug and one who is in need of some parenting. The story centers on the...
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effects of economic circumstances on young people whose parents (unwittingly or otherwise) neglect their children while out making a living. Mrs. Jones is and has also been affected by her own situation; a woman out working late shifts, trying to make an honest living, and can relate to Roger, recognizing that showing him some kindness and respect will serve a far greater purpose than punishing him.
The thesis statement will:
1. hint at what the reader can expect
2. guide the reader towards interpreting the writer's perspective
3. contribute towards understanding the theme
4. be found close to the beginning
5. give direction
Therefore, in my opinion, a good thesis statement would be " You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face."
The strong statements that come out of Hughes's short story relate to how people can relate to one another.
The first strong statement is that Human beings must show care towards one another. Mrs. Jones does not have to care for Roger. She could simply insist that the police get involved or even forget him as she reclaims her purse. However, she recognizes that if she does not care for him, no one will. When Mrs. Jones says to him that he should be her son because she would help to establish a moral compass within him, it is clear that she understands her responsibility. The ending where she gives him the money and implores him to make better choices in his life is reflective of how Hughes believes that human beings have to display love for one another. While the world is difficult to endure, Hughes suggests that it can be better if people relate to one another through compassion.
Another strong statement is that People can be the miracle the world needs. Mrs. Jones treats Roger fundamentally different than what is expected. However, Mrs. Jones does not take the form of the world around her. She feeds him, gives him money, and connects with him as a human being. Her generosity leaves an impact on him. While we don't know what is going to happen, we do know that his life has been changed because of Mrs. Jones. She transforms him because she is different from the rest of the world. She shows what can be as opposed to what is. In depicting her as challenging conventional wisdom, Hughes uses Mrs. Jones to remind us that we can be our own miracles when we transform reality.
Who are the characters in the short story "Thank You, M'am"?
The two characters in Langston Hughes's short story "Thank You, M'am" are Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones and Roger. Roger is portrayed as a young, naive adolescent who makes the reckless decision to attempt to steal Mrs. Jones's purse as she is walking home alone one evening. In doing so, Roger stumbles to the ground, and Mrs. Jones quickly grips him up and refuses to let go of his collar. Mrs. Jones notices that Roger is frightened and his face is dirty. When Roger mentions that he has not eaten dinner, Mrs. Jones surmises that he has a difficult home life and proceeds to drag him to her house.
Mrs. Jones is depicted as a mature, sympathetic woman who is both benevolent and forgiving. She instructs Roger to wash his face, gives him a warm plate of food, encourages him to make better decisions in life, and gives him ten dollars to buy blue suede shoes at the end of the story.
Analyze the plot structure in "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes.
"Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes is a pretty straightforward story without a lot of complicated twists and turns; however, it is also a pretty short story, which means some of the plot elements are much shorter than in a typical story.
There is virtually no exposition in this story; in fact, the inciting action (the thing that happens at the end of the exposition which triggers the action of the story) happens in the third line.
She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse.
The exposition includes the revelation of setting and character, so this is what we know: a large woman is walking with a, shall we say, significant purse with a long strap, and she is walking alone at eleven o'clock one night. She is one character, and we meet the other in the next sentence, when he tries to steal that purse. The inciting action is someone trying to steal her purse, so what follows that is rising action.
Rising action is everything that happens between the inciting action and the climax (crisis, turning point).
- The boy falls during his unsuccessful attempt at purse-snatching
- Mrs. Louella Bates Washington Jones kicks the boy then makes him pick up her pocketbook
- The woman scolds the boy and realizes he has no one at home to take care of him properly
- The boy, Roger, wants to leave, but the woman insists on his going home with her
- She walks him to her house in a headlock so he will not escape
- She makes Roger wash his dirty face
- Roger tells her why he wanted the money from her purse--to buy blue suede shoes
- The door is open, but Roger hesitates to run
- Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones tells Roger she understands him because she, too, has wanted things she could not get and has done things she is terribly ashamed of doing
- She tells Roger to comb his hair
- She starts fixing something to eat.
The climax is found in this paragraph:
In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an icebox. Mrs. Jones 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 day-bed. 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.
The door is open, the woman is not watching him, and her purse is exposed. Roger has every opportunity to prove himself to be a thief and a thug; instead he deliberately moves to a spot where Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones can see him. She demonstrated her trust in him, and he does not want to disappoint her.
The falling action is quite short. The two of them talk while they eat dinner, but the woman does not ask Roger anything about his home or his family.
The resolution does not take long, either. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones gives Roger ten dollars to buy the shoes he so desperately wants and tells him to behave himself. All he can manage to say to her is "Thank you, M'am." He never sees her again.
A case could also be made that the falling action goes from dinner to Roger's thanking the woman, and the exposition is simply that Roger never saw her again.
What is an analysis of the characters in "Thank You, M'am"?
Langston Hughes' story "Thank You, M'am" contains two main characters, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen named Roger and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.
Through Hughes' use of colloquial dialogue and urban language, the reader understands that both Roger and Mrs. Jones come from a similar background. Mrs. Jones is described as a large woman; she is obviously brave enough to walk home from her job late at night then overcome her would be robber Roger with her strength. From her mannerisms and home description, the reader understands that she is a practical woman with a simple lifestyle. Rather than retaliate against Roger for attempting the robbery, Mrs. Jones drags him home with her then provides him with a place to wash up, shares her dinner, and gives him the ten dollars that he meant to steal. No explanation is provided for her actions but the reader is left with the impression that she is a caring woman who means to restore Roger’s dignity and guide him toward making better choices.
Roger is described as a young teenage boy who appears frail and unkempt. Though he attempts to rob Mrs. Jones, it is obvious that he is frightened of her after he is caught, and probably is not an experienced thief. Roger does not take off and run from Mrs. Jones when he has the chance once she has taken him to her home. He appears aware of the situation, honestly explains his motivation for the robbery, and becomes bewildered by Mrs. Jones’ kindnesses towards him. The reader is left with the impression that Mrs. Jones brought out Roger’s best, that he has changed through the course of the story and will no longer be attempting to steal.
How would you analyze "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes?
To answer a question such as this, one should look closely into the interactions and characterizations of the two main characters in "Thank You, M'am" Mrs. Jones and Roger. When writing this response, you will want to employ details surrounding character descriptions, dialogue, action, as well as how these convey the central ideas and themes. These will drive the analysis.
One thing worth focusing on is the generational difference between the two characters, with Roger being a teenager and Mrs. Jones an adult, especially in the context of their backgrounds. Given that Roger comes from a difficult home life, it would be worth thinking about what Mrs. Jones represents to him in this particular moment. At the same time, you might want to also think about Mrs. Jones in the context of her own particular existence to consider what this encounter with Roger might mean to her.
Additionally, you might also think about the themes of poverty and desperation. The story opens with Roger attempting to steal Mrs. Jones's pocketbook so he might be able to buy a pair of blue suede shoes, but Mrs. Jones comes from poverty herself. In their conversation, she even states:
You thought I was going to say, but I didn't snatch people's pocketbooks. Well, I wasn't going to say that.... I have done things, too, which I would not tell you.
In details such as this, you can observe a degree of genuine empathy from Mrs. Jones given that the two come from similar backgrounds and experiences. To add to this, you might want to think about Mrs. Jones's current "job in a hotel beauty shop" doing women's hair, which is far removed from a rags-to-riches kind of story. Poverty (as well as class) can be read as a theme in this story, and an analysis on this subject can be applied to both its characters.
Can you provide a short summary of "Thank You, M'am"?
“Thank You M’am” is a heartwarming story by Langston Hughes about a big, strong woman named Luella Bates Washington Jones and a young boy named Roger who tries to steal her purse. Her purse is as big and heavy as its owner, and instead of getting away he gets tripped up and caught by Mrs. Jones, who takes him to her house in a headlock and makes him wash his face and comb his hair. She reprimands him with maternal care and asks him to eat dinner with her, seeing as he has no one at home to make him anything. It comes out that he wanted to steal her purse so he could get money to buy some blue suede shoes, and so Mrs. Jones gives him ten dollars for that purpose, with the warning not to go stealing anymore, “because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet.” Roger feels immensely sorry and grateful, but before he can fully articulate the words “Thank you Ma’am,” Mrs. Jones has closed her front door and he is left on his own.
This is of course just an example of the sort of thing you could write on your own – the story is short and easy to read, and a summary would take no time at all. It’s always a good idea to tailor these sorts of things to your own judgment and what you find noteworthy in a story. After all, there are other important elements that I haven’t mentioned in the five sentences above, such as Mrs. Jones’s past struggles and the boy’s active decision not to run away once his “captor” has released him.