Langston Hughes’ “Thank You, Ma’am”
Episode 29
For a little break between an epic and a novel, enjoy Langston Hughes’ classic short story, “Thank You, Ma’am”
Transcript
Intro:
Hello and welcome to Piper’s Paraphrases. I’m Professor Pipes and I’m here to say thank you. Thank You, Ma’am, to be precise, since I’m discussing Langston Hughes’ classic short story of theft and kindness.
Summary:
The story starts by describing a large woman (umm… a little judgy, Mr. Hughes…) named Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. As she’s walking home from work at 11 PM, a teenager named Roger runs up and tries, but fails, to steal her purse. He ends up falling and getting a swift kick in the hiney from the would be victim. Mrs. Jones then grabs Roger, makes him pick up her bag, and asks him a series of questions. During this interrogation, Roger claims he “didn’t aim” to steal her bag. Mmmhmm. But then admits he would run away if given the chance and that his face is dirty because he doesn’t have anyone at home to tell him to wash it. Sooo, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones drags him, quite literally, back to her house. Once there, she sets him loose before a sink and, despite the open door, Roger chooses to wash his face, instead of running away. She then asks if he’s eaten dinner, and he again says there’s no one at home, so she starts cooking up some food and hot cocoa for the two of them, and Roger admits that he tried to steal her bag so he could buy blue suede shoes. Hmm… I knew that rock and roll was the devil’s music! Mrs. Jones says he should have just asked her, and then admits that when she was younger she wanted things she couldn’t have and did things she wasn’t proud of. As they eat, she chats about her work, and once they are done, she gives him 10 dollars to buy his shoes, but tells him not to steal anymore. She leads him out, and he turns to say “thank you,” which is all he’s able to get out before she shuts the door to go to bed. Well if that isn’t the most round about way to purse snatch, I don’t know what is!
Analysis:
This short story has a great deal of indirect characterization, meaning we learn about the characters’ personalities not because the author says, “she’s nice” or “he’s sad,” but instead through their actions, thoughts, appearance, and dialogue. We are told very little about either character, but get to know them pretty well. We see that Mrs. Jones is tough and unafraid by her brazen choice to grab her attacker and put him in a headlock, but we also see that she is compassionate, sympathetic, and forgiving when she tells him how to clean himself up, feeds him dinner, and gives him money for the shoes he so desired. We also see that she is thoughtful and understanding when she chooses not to pry into his home life and instead to talk about her own life. Sooo, basically she’s a dang BOSS!
This little tale packs a pretty big punch with its themes, the first of which is KINDNESS. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is the epitome of kindness and compassion. Someone tries to rob her, and her response is not to call the cops and throw the kid in jail, but to care for him, clean him up, feed him, and give him money to buy something he really wanted. As she says, if she were his mom, she’d teach him right from wrong. And boy does she know that kindness is what’s right.
The other main theme is TRUST. Once Mrs. Jones gets Roger to her home, she lets him go, trusting that he will stay, rather than run off. She also trusts that, when she turns her back, he won’t run or steal her purse, which she left sitting right in full view of him. And she’s right! Apparently trust begets trust, since Langston Hughes writes that Roger “did not want to be mistrusted now,” so he intentionally sits where she can keep an eye on him, if she wants to. Ultimately, Mrs. Jones sends Roger on his way, TRUSTING that her KINDNESS got through to him and taught him to be a better person now and in the future.
Food for Thought:
Before I send you out the door, I’d like to leave you with some food for thought, but sadly no lima beans or blue suede shoes. Consider these questions as you reflect on the story as a whole.
First, what do we learn about Roger in this story? What can you tell about his life and his personality based on the indirect characterization used?
Second, what do you think Mrs. Jones means when she says that “shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet”? Keep in mind that she’s not just talking about shoes.
Third, based on what is revealed about Mrs. Jones, what do you think is her motivation for treating Roger the way she does? And what is she trying to accomplish?
Fourth, based on the story, does it seem like Roger learned his lesson? What evidence from the story supports your prediction?
Finally, what is the significance of the title? Why do you think Hughes named it “Thank you, Ma’am”?
Thank you, Ma’am and Sirs, for watching this episode of Piper’s Paraphrases. Now go forth, read a bunch, and be good people.
