Thank You Ma Am Theme

Langston Hughes revolves around the universal power of trust and love and its impacts in “Thank You Ma’am” . When a poor teenage boy tries to steal the purse of a large lady at night, he is thrown off by its unusually heavy weight. Roger falls down as his legs fly up, and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones smoothly kicks him. Instead of reporting him to the city police, she literally drags him in a half-nelson hold to her home. As they enter her cozy household, Mrs. Jones leaves the door open, and lets Roger go to the sink to wash up. She starts preparing dinner, turning her back away and leaving Roger alone with her pocketbook and the open door, but Roger chooses to stay in fear of being mistrusted. Mrs. Jones not only provided him with food and money, she gave him multiple spiritual gifts, including equality and trust. She offers him cleanliness and self-esteem. As they share her dinner and cake together, Mrs. Jones tells Roger, “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son- neither tell God, If He didn’t already know. (Hughes 90)” Mrs. Jones had made …show more content…
While every one of these short epics can stand as support for this theme, O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” provides the most evidence to prove that true love is about giving, not receiving. The paradigm of selflessness, Della and Jim’s devotion to each other has no physical limit. Any treasure, any money, means nothing when they have each other. Selling Della’s beautiful hair and Jim’s precious golden watch to buy presents for each other is a sacrifice worth making, in their eyes. The love between Della and Jim is so brilliant, it makes everything else look drab in comparison. The young couple’s entire relationship is based on selflessness and generosity, the very definition of love. This sort of selfless love, the type that most never find, must be cherished and