Character Analysis of Roger in "Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes

Introduction: Langston Hughes’ book written in 1958, ‘’Thank you ma’am’’ is set in Harlem New York during a time that New York experienced rapid population growth. It explores the effects of kindness and trust. Background: The story is about a boy named Roger. In the beginning of the story Roger steals from a woman named Mrs. Jones and attempts to steal her purse. Roger fails to do so, so the woman takes him to her house and teaches him a very valuable lesson “Do not steal”. Thesis statement: I really understood the message Langston Hughes puts into this story and I think Roger does too. In the end, Roger basically starts out as a cold-hearted thief but works his way out and learns how to respect others and not to steal. Roger changes in to a different person in the end of the story.

Topic sentence: I would think of Roger as a poor child and he had little money because in the story it states that he doesn’t have anyone at his house. Also the whole reason why Roger steals from Mrs. Jones is because he does not have enough money to buy his “Blue Suede Shoes” so he had to steal. Evidence & citing: Another example would be the description of his clothes and how his face and hair was all messy and dirty. The story states that Mrs. Jones had to tell Roger to wash his face and comb his hair to be presentable. In conclusion, Roger had very little money and because of that he had to steal.

Topic sentence: I would also describe Roger as a respectful person towards the end of the story because when he was dragged to Mrs. Jones’s house you could already tell that he was going through a change. Evidence & citing: When he was there, he offered Mrs. Jones to buy some groceries from the store. Also, he had several chances to ditch her but he chose not to it was almost like he wanted to stay there. Whenever Mrs. Jones told a story, Roger listened and actually learned out of her stories. Roger actually learned respect from Mrs. Jones when he went to her house.

Topic sentence: The last thing I would describe Roger is unthoughtful and he does not think before he does his actions. For example, when he tries to steal from Mrs. Jones, he doesn't think about the outcomes of this action which supports that he is very unthoughtful. When he fails to steal the purse, he just loses his balance and falls. Evidence & citing: But Mrs. Jones teaches him to be more thoughtful and work for your own money instead of stealing and she also teaches him to be more respectful and thoughtful.

Conclusion paragraph: In conclusion, he basically learns the importance of respect and not to steal. I think all of the experiences in the story that happened to him will change his life and hopefully will make him more successful in the future. Even I taught a little something from the story, to work for the good things in life instead of stealing someone else's hard-earned money like Roger did. So in the end, Roger becomes a better person all because of that one time when he stole Mrs. Jones’s purse. He learned to be respectful and not to steal.