Mrs. Jones In Thank You M Am, By Langston Hughes

In, “Thank You M’am,” by Langston Hughes, Mrs. Jones manifests contradictory traits, however, she has shown herself to be much more than a mediocre woman throughout the story as she encounters a young man, Roger. In the beginning of the short story, Mrs. Jones comes in contact with a young man named Roger who attempts to steal her purse. She then shows that she is not going to take any mess from a kid by beating him. “The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front and shook him until his teeth rattled (Page 172).” In this quote the author portrays Mrs. Jones as a very discourteous woman who wants to teach Roger a lesson physically. Mrs. Jones chooses very …show more content…
‘Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face’ (Pages 173, 174).” In this quote the author manifests the change in Mrs. Jones no longer shows aggression yet she is now being compassionate and making sure that Roger gets his face washed. Towards the end of the story, Mrs. Jones subtle character is shown through her charity and forgiveness towards Roger. “‘Eat some more son.’ she said. When they were finished eating, she got up and said, ‘Now here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue Suede shoes.” This quote explains how both Mrs. Jones and Roger are eating together, which shows that Mrs. Jones is full of tenderness and empathy. Mrs. Jones also shows in the quote that she wants a better future for Roger by giving him money to teach him to never do anything dishonest and to be cautious of his actions. Even though Mrs. Jones was a static character throughout the story, she demonstrated a change in her attitude towards Roger from being aggressive to being merciful and showing that she is a dignified, hard working woman. Moreover, in, “Thank You M’am,” by Langston Hughes, Roger is introduced into the story as a young teenage boy who is barking up the wrong tree, nonetheless,