Student Question
Why is the setting important in "Thank You, M'am"? Could it occur in a small Alaskan village?
Quick answer:
The setting of "Thank You, M'am" is important to the story in that it creates much of the subtext on which Hughes's story relies. Very little in this short story is stated directly by Hughes himself. Rather, much of what is known about these characters is implied through their own actions and interactions. Thus, any significant changes to this setting will make this story's world and characters unrecognizable from the ones Hughes created.
Speaking, for a moment, of literature in general (rather than about this specific story in particular), authors have absolute freedom to set their stories wheresoever they wish, and yet, at the same time, their stories tend to be bound by the settings they choose. A setting is fundamental in shaping a story, so much so that a writer cannot make important alterations to their chosen setting (for example, in this case, changing an urban setting to one in rural Alaska) without fundamentally transforming the story that follows.
In the case of "Thank You, M'am," we're talking about a story set in an urban part of the United States, following working-class African American culture. It features only two characters, Roger and Mrs. Jones, and most of what Langston Hughes reveals about these characters is implied through subtext rather than explicitly stated: while we don't know the specifics of Roger's...
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home situation, we can be certain it is a difficult one, just based on hischaracterization. Likewise, while we don't know the details of her own life, Mrs. Jones's conversation with Roger suggests that, for her own part, she also had to claw herself up from less-than-stable beginnings.
The problem here is that if you swap out this urban setting for a rural one, you essentially change the entire world these characters inhabit. Poverty can still, of course, be a major theme in a rural setting, but rural poverty will look very much different from urban poverty, in terms of living conditions and occupations. This effect becomes even more magnified in a story such as this one, given how so much of the characterization is implied rather than stated directly, emerging from the subtext. But if you change the setting, you change the subtext: the poverty and racial dynamics become skewed and the world becomes unrecognizable, along with the characters in it.
Why couldn't "Thank You, M'am" take place in a small village in Alaska?
"Thank You, Ma'am," a short story written by Langston Hughes, was set in Harlem, a part of New York City that was a primarily black neighborhood. This neighborhood was experiencing a boom in the early part of the twentieth century, as Black people were migrating North to escape the Jim Crow laws of the South. (Jim Crow laws were unfair laws that kept Black and white people separate in all buildings and facilities. Black facilities were usually inferior to white ones.)
During the time this story was written (1958), most of the population of Harlem was Black, yet most of the business owners were white. Most Black people lived in what were called "negro tenements." These buildings were often constructed within one foot of another building, allowing no light from the outside. They often lacked ventilation and were very tight and cramped living quarters.
"Thank You, Ma'am" begins on the streets of Harlem, and it later moves to the apartment of Mrs. Jones, who lived in a tenement building. Her apartment consisted of a kitchenette, one small room, and a bathroom. The story begins when Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones's large purse. She grabs the purse back from the would-be thief and begins to chastise him for his actions. She decides to take him to her apartment to show him some parental love that she has determined he lacks.
The woman said, "You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?"
If this story had happened somewhere else, like a small village in Alaska, key plot points would have to be changed. Remote villagers are not likely to walk around with a large purse, as Mrs. Jones did. Survival doesn't depend on money in a remote village as much as it does in a city. Mrs. Jones could tell by looking at Roger that he was undernourished, and she took pity on him in taking him to her small apartment for a meal. In that action, Mrs. Jones's meager means are highlighted as well. If it had taken place in a remote village, the characters would perhaps have shared a fish that they had caught. Villagers are inclined to share what they have for the benefit of all, rather than the more urban concept of each one taking care of themselves.
Authors carefully choose settings, the time and place where the story is taking place, in order to develop the characters, plot, and themes that they are trying to convey. In choosing the setting of Harlem, Langston Hughes also highlighted the plight of Black Americans and showed nuances of Black culture. All of that is dependent upon the urban, early-twentieth-century setting of Harlem.