Thank You, M Am, By Langston Hughes

Kindness Against the World
Oftentimes people only need some sympathy to succeed in life. In the short story known as “Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes, the story follows a boy named Roger who attempts to steal the purse of a strong and kind women, Luella Bates Washington Jones, who rather then turn him in to the police she takes him to her home, has him wash his face, and makes him eat a meal before sending him back to his house with the instructions to,”Behave yourself, boy!” Using the actions of the characters in the story, Hughes shows that people need the kindness of others for their life to change for the better.
At the start of the story, Roger attempts to steal the purse of a stranger described as “a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder” (1). Unbalanced by the sudden wait of the purse the boy falls. She demands him to pick up her pocket book and asks if he is ashamed. He replies, “Yes’m” (3). She asks why he did it and if he will run if she lets go. He says

Luella leaves her purse and the boy in a room with an open door, and then goes to another room to make the meal she offered. The boy realizes he could run but he does not want to be mistrusted by the woman and chooses not to run with her purse. She had trusted him and he did not wish to break that trust. When they are eating the meal she infers things about him,”’I believe you’re hungry—or been hungry—to try to snatch my pocketbook” although she does not pry farther than that or try to embarrass him (29). He tells her that he had tried to steal the purse in order to buy himself blue suede shoes. She sympathizes with the boy and says,”’I were young once and I wanted things I could not get” (34). As the boy is leaving he wants to say more than a simple “Thank you, M’am” but barely manages a “Thank you” (45). When she sends him