Thank You Ma Am, By Langston Hughes

Literary Analysis: Thank You Ma’am How would you feel if someone tried to steal something from you? The woman and the boy create an unexpected relationship when he tried to steal her purse. The story “Thank you Ma’am” is an excellent story showing the relationship unfold between these two people. From an interaction that would normally make a person mad, to taking the boy in, the writer expresses the characters in a way that makes them easy to connect to. Langston Hughes does a good job of characterizing the boy and the woman in his short story “Thank You Ma’am,” through physical description, personal feelings, and showing the interaction between them. Hughes sets the stage for the characters in the story by defining their physical descriptions.

“‘Im very sorry, lady, I’m sorry,’ whispered the boy.” Prior to this the boy just wanted to run, now he was genuinely sorry for his actions. When the woman took the boy to her house to wash him and feed him she trusted the respect they had created. She let the boy go and he reacted well, “Roger looked at the door-looked at the woman-looked at the door- and went to the sink,” knowing now that the woman was just wanting to help. By the end of their time together the boy understood how the woman had helped him, “The boy wanted to say something else other than ‘Thank you, m’am’ to Mrs. Luella Bates.” Their interaction show how the characters changed throughout the story and helps us to understand and connect to the characters better. Characterization was shown through physical description, personal feelings, and showing the interaction between the boy and woman in the short story “Thank You Ma’am” by langston hughes. It showed a relationship between a boy and a woman that wouldn 't usually happen. They gained respect for each other and the writer wrote about the characters that helps the readers connect and understand them. Characterization is important in a story so the readers can connect and understand the