Langston Hughes 'Short Story Thank You Ma Am'

In the short story Thank You Ma’am by Langston Hughes, a boy named Roger tries to steal a purse belonging to Mrs. Jones off her arm. The boy was young and did not get turned in to the police. I will be discussing why Mrs. Jones took him home, how their actions determine their character and the theme of the story. Instead of turning Roger in to authorities when he tried to steal her purse, Mrs. Jones took him to her house. She took him there to feed him, give him some money, and to teach him a lesson. Mrs. Jones took Roger home so she could feed him, before giving him some money. In quote 1 she says “Then we’ll eat,” after asking him if he has eaten that night. She takes him home to feed him because she felt as if he wasn’t eating

Jones’ characters. By the story you can see Roger is a boy who was lead the wrong way but still wants to do right. In the reading Roger attempts to steal Mrs. Jones purse but fails, he is then taken to her house washed up fed and given money. While at Mrs. Jones house it says in quote 4 “...And he did not want to be mistrusted now.” This says that even though he had done wrong, he is still hoping for a turnaround. Which shows that the actions taken place do not describe him as a person. He was just lead the wrong way and Mrs. Jones took her time to address it. The fact that Mrs. Jones addressed roger tells about her character as well. Because Mrs. Jones took her time to address the boy, feed the boy, and give the boy money is shows that she does not judge people. In the reading of quote 5 she says
“I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son-neither tell God, if he didn’t already know.” she admits to doing wrong in her which shows she isn’t ashamed of him. Mrs. Jones states she has done wrong in her life it’s like she is telling him that nobody is perfect therefore one human cannot simply judge another based off their actions. Mrs. Jones’ actions is what determines the theme of this short