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What does the following quote suggest about the story's future plot development?
"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?”
Quick answer:
The quote foreshadows Mrs. Jones's compassionate treatment of Roger, who tried to steal her purse. She empathizes with his situation, teaching him right from wrong by caring for him, feeding him, and giving him money for shoes. This motherly approach transforms their relationship, indicating her belief in his potential to change.
This excerpt foreshadows what happens later in the story; however, the events happen (almost) in the reverse of the way they appear in the excerpt. First, Ms. Jones forces the boy to wash his face, and then she feeds him a good meal. By this point, he wants her to trust him, and they have the kind of trust that might exist between a mother and son. In addition, she refers to the boy as "son," though she is using that term in a metaphorical rather than a literal way to show she cares about him. She then teaches him about what is right and wrong by giving him the money to buy blue suede shoes and telling him that he should behave himself. At the end of the story, the boy thanks Ms. Jones, showing that he has learned something from her.
Roger, the boy who attempted to steal...
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the purse of Mrs. Jones, has just apologized to her for his behavior. He whispers, as though he is quite scared, and she seems to change her tone toward him at this point. The line you cite foreshadows the kindly treatment Roger is to receive from Mrs. Jones later in the story and to indicate that she has begin to empathize with this boy who has been pushed to desperation for one reason or another. She declares that she isn't going to turn him in. She knows just what questions to ask to ascertain that he has no adult at home to teach him or take care of him; she seems to know exactly how to get through to Roger. Mrs. Jones tells him,
"I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he didn't already know."
Now we learn why Mrs. Jones knew how to be compassionate earlier in the story. Perhaps she grew up without being taught right from wrong. Perhaps she grew up without someone to look out for her, and it sounds as though she, too, made some missteps as a result. She even ends up giving him the money he needs to buy what he wants: a pair of blue suede shoes. Thus, Mrs. Jones asking Roger if he's hungry early on is the first kindness in a string of many, an indication of how she would treat him as a worthwhile person rather than a thug or criminal.
Langston Hughes' short story “Thank You, M'am” is about a large, strong willed woman named Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones who apprehends a young thief named Roger as he attempts to steal her purse.
The quotation you are working with occurs in the first half of the story as Mrs. Jones is dragging the smaller, bewildered boy down the street to her apartment. Hughes uses this quotation and the rest of the story to illustrate the power of human compassion and kindness. These are the first kind words she speaks to him, and they signal a significant change in the tone of the story, foreshadowing what is about to happen between them in her apartment.
Roger was undoubtedly expecting something much different than the treatment he received from Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones reveals her concern for Roger when she says,
I believe you're hungry—or been hungry—to try to snatch my pocketbook.
The clueless boy responds with:
I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes.
We would expect Mrs. Jones to respond with indignation at this point, but she does not. Instead she reveals a kind nature by speaking to the boy like a family member, cooking for him, and finally giving him ten dollars on his way out.