Analysis of The Character of Mrs. Jones in Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes

An old lady walks along the street of a dark alley. Suddenly, a mischievous boy steals her purse. Imagine the look of fear in her eyes! In “Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes, the same thing happens to Mrs. Jones. During the beginning of the story, Mrs. Jones goes walking down a dark midnight street. All of a sudden, she comes to a boy named Roger with a malicious look. Roger wants money to purchase blue suede shoes although he is found without money. Correspondingly, Roger steals Mrs. Jones’ pocketbook! He then gets taken in by Mrs. Jones for dinner. Roger learns a valuable lesson from her. Mrs. Jones portrays herself as a sophisticated and accepting lady.

To start, Mrs. Jones is very prestigious. Mrs. Jones takes Roger in and notices his face. She blurted, “Um-hum! And your face is dirty”. Mrs. Jones expects more than Roger can give. She doesn’t want him to be that dirty, as that makes him look nasty. Secondly, Mrs. Jones wants to take Roger to dinner but holds back due to how dirty he is. She snaps, “Not with that face. I would not take you nowhere”. Mrs. Jones doesn’t let herself be seen with a dirty looking boy. This evidence proves that she is very sharp and proper. Lastly, near the end of the story, Mrs. Jones gives Roger money to buy blue suede shoes. When she does this, Mrs. Jones demands that he’d never steal a pocketbook ever again. When doing this, she makes herself seem powerful and in control of what Roger does. Mrs. Jones prevents Roger from doing what he did to her to anyone else. For these reasons, Mrs. Jones is very practical.

Not only is Mrs. Jones sophisticated, but she is also very accepting. Mrs. Jones and Roger talk about her past situation. She shares, “‘I were young once and I wanted things I could not get”’. Mrs. Jones puts herself in Roger’s shoes. She understands what he’s been through on a first-person account. Later as Mrs. Jones walks away to her kitchen, she gains trust in Roger and leaves her purse on the couch. Mrs. Jones now had trust in Roger. She accepts his past self and trusts him not to act like that guy. At dinner, Mrs. Jones keeps her thought to herself: “The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks, or anything that would embarrass him”. Mrs. Jones knows that Roger has a tough home life and background. She accepts this and moves on. Overall, Mrs. Jones is understanding. All things considered, Mrs. Jones has two major qualities; she is sharp and welcoming. Mrs. Jones shows her personality throughout the story. She teaches the reader an important lesson that the story reflects. Mrs. Jones teaches one that trust gives back. In the story, Roger doesn’t feel the need for anyone to trust him. His opinion changes once Roger meets Mrs. Jones. Roger wants her to trust him after all that happened. Once she trusts Roger, that whole in his fills in. The reader learns this valuable lesson from the book.