What is interesting about Hughes's description of the purse of Mrs. Jones in "Thank You, M'am"?

“She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails.”

This is how the story “Thank You, M’am” begins with the introduction of its central character Mrs. Jones. At the very outset of the story, we are told that the “large woman” carries “a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails."

Women are quite particular about their choice of purse they buy themselves.To many, a...

“She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails.”

This is how the story “Thank You, M’am” begins with the introduction of its central character Mrs. Jones. At the very outset of the story, we are told that the “large woman” carries “a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails."

Women are quite particular about their choice of purse they buy themselves.To many, a purse defines individual taste and popular trend. Of course, no one carries "hammer and nails" in one’s purse, nor does Mrs. Jones. So, why does the author Langston Hughes mention it?  

By doing so, Hughes suggests that besides carrying money and bills, Mrs. Jones' purse is spacious enough to be used to carry stuff ranging from grocery stuff to newspapers and magazines, from women’s accessories, including comb or mirror, to eatables, from objects she needs at her workplace to articles she buys on her way back home.

One thing is absolutely clear that Mrs. Jones certainly doesn't belong to the class of the sophisticated ladies to whom a purse is a definition of style and taste. She uses the purse solely because she needs to carry things in it. Its large size indicates that it may not be stylish but big enough to take in a lot of things.

The description of the purse also tells us that Mrs. Jones is an ordinary, hard working, middle class woman. She is more bothered about earning a livelihood with dignity rather than about emulating fashionable ladies.

In this way, we see that Hughes’ description of Mrs. Jones’ purse is quite interesting as, with very few words, it offers vital insight into Mrs. Jones character trait.