In “Thank You, Ma’am,” Ms. Luella Bates Washington Jones is a fan favorite for many reasons because she is such an admirable character. She is shown to be an admirable character because she is aggressive at the beginning, confident in the middle, and generous at the end.
First, the most clearly represented trait for Ms. Luella Bates Washington Jones is that she is aggressive because of the ways she acts while she’s around Roger. For example, when Roger tried to steal her bag at the street, she grabs him and says, “now ain’t you ashamed of yourself?” This shows her aggressive nature because she makes a really big deal out of the bag, which is totally reasonable. Instead of acting scared, she intimidates him enough to never act that way again! Additionally, Ms. Luella Bates Washington Jones was aggressive because of how she handles Roger. Instead
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Luella Bates Washington Jones is confident because of her influence on Roger. For example, Ms. Luella Bates trusted him after she talked to him. She is so confident her treatment of Roger will influence his decisions. He “could’ve made a dash down the hall and run run run run run!” but he didn’t. She even leaves her pocketbook on the daybed while she turns away from him to cook dinner. This shows that Ms. Luella Bates’ confidence towards Roger getting better is growing. Also, Ms. Luella Bates is confident because she is very honest with him, and chooses to relate with him. She says, “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he didn’t already know.” This shows her confidence because she is honest with him, rather than shaming him. Finally, Ms. Luella Bates is confident by being empathetic and showing respect towards Roger without demeaning him or his situation. Roger says, “there is nobody at my house, ma’am” then she says, “then we’ll eat!” This shows Ms. Luella Bates self-confident because she knows she can teach Roger about being good to