Empathy And Punishment In Thank You, Ma Am

Empathy and Kindness vs. Criminalization and Punishment
Langston Hughes’s short story Thank You, Ma'am was published in 1958, but is still popular with readers today because of its universal themes of kindness, punishment, and empathy. In the story, a young boy named Roger attempts to steal an older woman's (Mrs. Jones) purse. When he fails and ends up being forcefully taken to her apartment, he is surprised when she treats him with kindness and empathy, instead of reporting him to the police. She makes him wash his face and cooks him dinner, as she is able to recognize that he doesn’t have anyone at home to look after him. Through their conversation, Mrs. Jones reveals that she once used to be like him, doing things she regrets now. When Roger

The story ends with her walking him out and closing the door so fast he isn't able to say thank you to her. She also leaves him with the advice to behave himself from now on. The reader is able to infer that this short time spent with Mrs. Jones (and the kindness she offers him) will go a long way in perhaps having a lasting impact on Roger’s life. Hughes’s short story still resonates today when examining the parallels to today’s society and the negative consequences and criminalization for marginalized peoples, when empathy and kindness are better factors in helping those in need.
Roger’s first question to Mrs. Jones when they get to her apartment is “You gonna take me to jail?” (Hughes). He expects to be treated like a criminal and would not have been wrong to expect this outcome. The article “Civil Rights and Criminal Justice” states that “the poor have
Pahach 2 higher rates of police contact, arrest, more severe criminal sanctions, and overall criminal justice contacts than any other group for the past century” (Henderson). When examining the motives behind Roger’s theft (lack of money and parental support) and his appearance (dirty face,

Jones feeds him and most importantly, she listens to him. This act of kindness comes from a place of respect: she doesn’t lecture him, but she listens to him and lets him know she has been there too.
By displaying empathy, she is demonstrating a trait that could likely change Roger’s own future behaviors. In fact, “a lack of empathy has been shown to predict criminal behavior” (Tisak and
Goldstein 7051). Perhaps Roger has never experienced this trait in another person, which could lead him to have a change in behavior when dealing with others. Showing and receiving empathy goes a long way in affecting patterns of behavior in youth. For example, the article “Criminality, cognitive distortions, empathy, and legitimacy of laws: Behaviors and perspectives of youth offenders” states that “empathic responding (and challenges associated with it) is an important factor to consider when investigating links between social cognitive processing and offending behavior among youth offenders” (Tisak and Goldstein 7051). Empathy is a learned behavior and
Mrs. Jones is able to teach this to Roger when she listens to him, shows she understands