Discussion Topic
Significance of the Title "Thank You, M'am"
Summary:
The title "Thank You, M'am" in Langston Hughes's short story reflects the profound impact Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones has on the young boy, Roger, after he attempts to steal her purse. Instead of punishment, she offers him kindness, teaching him a valuable lesson about empathy and second chances. This act of generosity, including feeding him and giving him money for shoes, deeply affects Roger, leaving him grateful yet unable to fully express his thanks, symbolizing the transformative power of compassion.
Why is the story titled "Thank You, Ma'am"?
The title refers to the moment at the end of the short story when the boy, Roger, wants to say more to Mrs. Jones, but could not. The closing lines of the short story capture this beautifully in Hughes' powerful style: "The boy wanted to say something other than 'Thank you, ma'm,' to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but although his lips moved, he couldn't even say that, as he turned at the foot of the barren stoop and looed up at the large woman in the door." The title is a direct reference to how Mrs. Jones addressed the situation of the youth attempting to steal her money. The woman's approach of taking the boy home, feeding him, and caring for him strikes at the essence of Hughes' desire to transform what is into what can be, but also strikes at a very humanistic approach to criminal activity. At...
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some level, empathy is needed to help eliminate the reason behind why people commit crimes. In displaying her sense of empathy behind the boy's predicament and caring for him, she has disarmed the boy, and caused him to reflect on his choices and future decisions.
If we are talking about the Langston Hughes story, the answer is because the woman (Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones) has helped the boy (Roger) in a very important way. She has given him back his integrity and, perhaps, hope for the future.
At the start of the story, Roger tries to rob Mrs. Jones. But instead of turning him in to the police, she treats him with understanding and respect.
By doing this, she makes him feel like a good person -- she makes him want to behave, as when he does not steal from her when left alone with her purse.
This is a huge gift, and that is why the story has the title it does.
The words of the title, "Thank You, M'am," are from the
final words uttered by Roger to Mrs. Jones, and they impart the deep
meaning of his encounter with her. The narrator makes
two comments relevant to the meaning of the words "Thank you, m'am" that
illuminate why "Thank You, M'am" is the title of the story:
once in her home, Roger no longer wants Mrs. Jones to mistrust him, and, at
their parting, he wants to say something else to her, but
can't.
Roger at first is terrified of Mrs. Jones, who kicks him in the seat of his
blue jeans, "right square in his blue-jeaned sitter"; who picks him up and
shakes him by the "shirt front," marching off "dragging the frightened boy
behind her"; and who drags him up the street with "a half-nelson about his
neck." When faced with a choice between a sink and an open door, he wants to
run! "Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the
door--...."!
But instead of running, he chooses the sink and a washed face: he "went to
the sink." As their "contact" progresses, he chooses to comb his hair and
to sit where he knows she can see him, and he chooses to listen to her and
share her meal and "ten-cent cake" with her--without running. Along with these
choices, he changes in his attitude toward her and wants her to trust him.
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.
When she hands him the ten dollars for the "blue suede shoes," along with
the admonition that he would behave himself "from here on in," he knows she is
someone whose admonitions he would do well to follow in life.
When it comes time for them to part, with Mrs. Jones calling him "son" ("I wish
you would behave yourself, son, from here on in"), Roger deeply feels the
impact of the gift and the chance at a different kind of life that she has
given him. He wants to say something expressive of his understanding and change
of heart--to say "something else other than 'Thank you, m'am'"--but cannot
manage more than to utter his "Thank you": "He barely managed to say 'Thank
you'...."
The boy wanted to say something else other than "Thank you, m’am" to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so as he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door.
The title "Thank You, M'am" is representative of the deep change of heart wrought by Roger's "contact" with Mrs. Jones, who it seems is right in saying that, because of their "contact," he would remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.
"But you put yourself in contact with me," said the woman. "If you think that that contact is not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones."
What is the author's intention in "Thank You, M'am"?
Thank You, M'am is a short story by Langston Hughes. In discussing the author's purpose, a reader should consider whether the story informs, entertains or is intended to persuade the reader to a certain point of view. Although this story is not autobiographical, Langston Hughes did grow up with his grandparents and so may have lacked parental influence, such as Roger apparently does; Mrs. Jones questioning him as to who might be at home only to discover that there is no one "to tell you to wash your face."
The strong and kindly Mrs. Jones has a very nurturing sense (fortunately for Roger) and Hughes wants the reader to understand that there are people in the world who have a deep understanding of human nature and who have no need of self-gratification; their only desire is to make the world a better place (such like a grandmother may do).
Hughes could have taken this story in various directions but he chose the one where the positive role model has the potential to change someone's life. Hughes also does not make the story too much like a "happily ever after" because he leaves an open end and the reader can make his own decision as to whether Roger goes off to steal from someone else or whether he has learnt a valuable lesson and goes away reformed and with the intention to "behave yourself" which is Mrs. Jones's only request.
Therefore, this story entertains the reader and hopefully subtly also teaches the reader that a sense of empathy and a non-judgmental outlook are preferable to a cynical outlook. Hughes therefore also intends to persuade his reader not to waste their their own opportunities to be role models.
It's not immediately obvious that there's an overall message or moral in "Thank You, M'am," but the most likely candidate appears to be that it's possible for people to change their ways if you show a little kindness to them. Allied to this is the notion that you should always give someone a second chance.
Both these messages are exemplified by the behavior of Mrs. Jones in the story. Despite the fact that Roger tried to snatch her purse, she shows kindness and consideration toward him. Instead of dragging him off to the nearest police station, she takes him home, where she gets him cleaned up and gives him something to eat.
Mrs. Jones is taking a big risk by doing this. The fact that Roger attempted to snatch her purse may suggest that he's done this kind of thing before. That being the case, it takes a lot of guts—as well as a real belief in the capacity of people to change—for Mrs. Jones to take Roger home with her instead of turning him in.
All the indications are that Mrs. Jones's risk pays off. Roger responds positively to her kindness by sitting quietly down in such a manner as to reassure Mrs. Jones that he's not about to make off with her purse, even though he could easily do so. Roger seems to realize that this is a turning point in his life: a moment when he chooses to give up what could so easily have been a life of crime. And for that, he has Mrs. Jones to thank.
Langston Hughes's point of view about the situation in "Thank You, M'am" is linked to the story's theme. The theme is the main idea of a story, or what the author intends to convey by writing it. We can find out this story's theme by looking closely at the characters and plot. The perspective of the story, also known as the point of view, is third-person limited omniscient. This means that the author follows the actions of both characters but only explains the motivations of one of them—in this case, Roger, the foiled purse-snatcher. Hughes chooses this perspective because Roger is the character who experiences profound change in the story, while Mrs. Jones remains stable throughout it.
Mrs. Jones is a large woman of indeterminate age who lives alone in a small room. She works in a hotel beauty shop where people who are obviously more affluent than she is come and go. She is poor, as indicated by her humble room and also by the meal of frozen lima beans and ham that she shares with Roger. However, despite her poverty, she has empathy, generosity, and a strong sense of right and wrong.
Roger obviously comes from a broken home, as evidenced by his dirty face and his physical hunger. There is no one interested enough in his welfare to make sure he stays clean and to listen to his desires, so he has resorted to theft to get what he wants.
Some people, if they caught a purse-snatcher like Roger, would turn him over to the police, while others would verbally abuse him and let him go. Mrs. Jones does neither of these things. She recognizes that Roger is in need of some attention and care, so she takes him home, cleans him up, feeds him, and gives him ten dollars to buy some blue suede shoes. Readers are left with no doubt by the story's end that the encounter has profoundly changed Roger's life. Mrs. Jones remains poor, and Roger is still from a broken home, but perhaps for the first time, he realizes that there are good people like Mrs. Jones in the world.
This is the author's point of view about the situation. He wants to show readers that despite the hardships of poverty and neglect, attentive and compassionate people can change lives and make them better by performing deeds of kindness.
Why is the story titled "Thank You, M'am"?
A grateful and now respectful Roger wants to say more than his mere "thank you" to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones as she closes the door after taking him to her home and feeding him, but he does not have time. This phrase of "thank you m'am" is used by Langston Hughes as the title, perhaps, because it expresses the gratitude Roger feels toward this kind and generous woman who has effected a change in him.
After all, it is thanks to Mrs. Jones that Roger has not been arrested for stealing her purse; it is thanks to her that he has cleaned his face and had a hot meal. And it is thanks to her that Roger has been taught how wrong it is to steal from others as he is reprimanded physically and verbally by Mrs. Jones. Roger has felt the love of a woman with a large heart who has recognized a neglected boy in need of love and direction. The generous Mrs. Jones has given all these things to Roger. As she sends Roger on his way, he turns to thank her for her kindness and for disciplining him. But he feels awkward and embarrassed in his shame for his earlier actions toward this big-hearted woman.
The boy wanted to say something else other than “Thank you, m’am” to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so as he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door.
As Roger departs, the reader has the sense that Mrs. Jones has brought about a change in this young man.
What is the significance of the title "Thank You, M'am"?
In this story, the title refers to the events which pass between the two characters, Roger and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. Specifically, Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones' purse because he wants to buy some blue suede shoes, as he later explains. Instead of reporting him to the police, Mrs. Jones shows great kindness to Roger: she invites him into her home, lets him use her washing facilities and feeds him. She also gives him the money to buy the shoes.
The title is, therefore, a celebration of these acts of kindness and, more importantly, of Roger's immense gratitude. The fact that Roger wanted to "say something else other than thank you m'am" (as expressed in the final paragraph) suggests that nobody has ever shown such understanding and benevolence to him and this is, perhaps, one of the story's key messages: that kindness exists in the most unlikely of places.
Roger, the young boy who tries to steal a purse from the wrong woman in this Langston Hughes short story, feels shame and regret after he is forced to return to her home. While there, the large woman, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, treats the boy with respect and gives him a hot meal. She does not question him about the purse again, but only asks if he wanted the money because he was hungry. No, the boy tells her; he only wants to buy some blue suede shoes. She tells him that she, too, has done things for which she is ashamed. Mrs. Jones gives him $10 to buy the shoes, and shows him the way to the door. As he leaves, he wishes that he could think of something else to say, but he only tells her "Thank you, m'am." Because the woman, who obviously has little money herself and has to cook a simple meal on a hot plate, is so kind to the boy, and treats him with dignity, she earns his trust and his respect--quite a change from how the two first met. It seems an appropriate title.
What is the catchphrase in "Thank You, M'am"?
The catch phrase in "Thank You M'am" is "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Ms. Jones demonstrates this by her actions towards Roger, the young man who tries to steal her purse. She believes that by showing him some compassion and caring (honey) she has a better chance at his learning a lesson and changing than if she simply turns him over to the police (vinegar). Ms. Jones indicates that she too had once done things she was not proud of, yet she managed to turn her life around. The reader is left to wonder if someone had at one point showed her the same kindness as she now shows to Roger.