Themes For Thank You Ma'am

Empathy, Kindness, and Punishment

Langston Hughes'due south "Thank you, M'am" tells the story of a immature male child, Roger, who meets an older woman, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, while attempting to steal her purse. When Roger is initially confronted by the business firm and imposing Mrs. Jones, he clearly believes he will exist punished for his crime; indeed, she takes him in hand, kicks him "square in the blue-jeaned sitter," and shakes him "until his teeth rattled." Yet it…

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Family unit, Community, and Home

"Cheers, M'am" narrates the events of one night for Roger, a immature boy, and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, the older woman he attempts to rob. Rather than reporting Roger to the police or have other legal activity, Mrs. Jones offers the boy motherly guidance and a temporary dwelling. Her unexpected selection tin can be read through the historical background of the story'due south implied setting: Hughes was a cardinal figure in the early on…

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Choice vs. Circumstance

"Thank You lot, M'am" demonstrates that individuals make ameliorate choices—and even become more than upstanding, more moral people—when they are honest most their shortcomings and mistakes. A more stereotypical, less nuanced version of this story might have blamed or excused Roger'southward attempted theft of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones'southward pocketbook on his income, race, or course. Instead, through observing the series of decisions fabricated by Roger and Mrs. Jones, Hughes's story presents a more complex…

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