In "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes, Roger intends to steal Mrs. Jones's purse. Mrs. Jones, however, is not about to allow him to get the better of her, and she acts quickly to prevent him from taking her "pocketbook." Roger can't believe his bad luck and is concerned that she will now take him to the police station. He struggles to get loose from her tight grip, but Mrs. Jones has already assessed the...
In "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes, Roger intends to steal Mrs. Jones's purse. Mrs. Jones, however, is not about to allow him to get the better of her, and she acts quickly to prevent him from taking her "pocketbook." Roger can't believe his bad luck and is concerned that she will now take him to the police station. He struggles to get loose from her tight grip, but Mrs. Jones has already assessed the situation. She has noticed that his face is dirty and thinks there may be more to this boy than him just being a ruffian. She asks him, "Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?"
For Mrs. Jones, there are better ways to teach Roger a lesson than taking him to the police, and so she takes him to her home. Roger begins to see that Mrs. Jones, although strict, is different from the average adult. When she loosens her grip around his neck, he cannot make up his mind what to do but decides, rather than run, that he will do as she says and wash his face.
Roger doesn't run because he respects Mrs. Jones's authority and is intrigued by this woman's concern for him and apparent trust in him—despite the fact that he just tried to steal from her. He feels safe with her, and this is a strange feeling for him. Even though he is still not sure what Mrs. Jones intends to do with him, he feels a connection with her and even tells her what he would have done with the money had he managed to steal her purse.
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