Thank You, Ma'am by Langston Hughes Book Review

“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance” – Socrates

Roger from “Thank you Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, tries to snatch Ms. Jones’s pocketbook. His plan faltered and Ms. Jones dragged him to her house to wash his face, get him cleaned up and give him a proper meal. When they finished eating Ms. Jones gave Roger some money to buy the suede shoes he wanted when he snatched her pocketbook. As a result, Roger goes from having no one to take care of him trying to snatch pocketbooks to a loving young boy who was eager to earn and give respect and trust; this shows how Roger is a dynamic character.

“Evil deeds are punished in ways one might not expect.” In the beginning of the story, Roger tried to snatch Ms. Jones’s pocketbook to obtain something he wanted. We can see how Roger’s plan falters and how that developed into being beneficial in the long run. The story asserts that Roger “ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse.” (Hughes, 1)  “Her” refers to Ms. Jones.  “Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it here.” (Hughes, 1) As demonstrated in the text Roger ineffectively snatched Ms. Jones’s pocketbook and as a result he gets dragged back to her house. “If I turn you loose will you run?” “Yes’m,” said the boy. As you could perceive the moment they got to her house she made sure he wouldn't run away and let him go so that he could wash his face but not before Roger contemplated running straight out the door. 

“You gonna take me to jail?” -- asked the boy bending over the sink. --“Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere,” said the woman .-- “Here I am trying to get home to cook me a bite to eat and you snatch my pocketbook! Maybe, you ain’t been to your supper either, late as it be. Have you?” -- “There’s nobody home at my house,” said the boy. (Hughes, 2) --  This asserts that Roger doesn’t have anyone at his home that can feed him and/or care for him. “I were young once and I wanted things I could not get.” (Hughes, 2) --  The woman said, “Um-hum! You thought I was going to say but, didn’t you? You thought I was going to say, but I didn’t snatch people’s pocketbooks. Well I wasn’t going to say that.” (Hughes, 3) Here Ms. Jones implies that her life wasn’t as easy as one might think and that there were things that she also wanted which she could not get. Ms. Jones and Roger can relate on some levels because they were and are both going through rough patches in life and are improving and changing as people.  

“She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and set the table.”  Ms. Jones then fixes Roger a meal along with hers and they eat, “The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks, or anything else that would embarrass him. Instead, as they ate, she told him about her job…” As can be seen here, Ms. Jones doesn’t want to embarrass Roger or make him feel uncomfortable so rather than asking him those personal questions, she talked about her job and how all kinds of different women came in and out the door. After finishing their dinner she cut him a half of her ten cent cake. “Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s--because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet.” “Good-night! Behave yourself, boy!” (Hughes, 3) After Roger and Ms. Jones finished dinner, Ms. Jones gave Roger the money he needed to get the blue suede shoes he wanted all along but not before reminding him not to snatch anyone’s pocketbooks and that it’s not worth getting in trouble for. 

In conclusion, evil deeds are punished in ways one might not expect. Ms. Jones made the choice of forgiving Roger and his action of trying to snatch her pocketbook and took him under her wing to teach him that snatching people’s pocketbooks for some suede shoes isn’t worth it, that everyone goes through tough times weather it is earlier in life or later and that it gets better if not now then eventually. It is better to earn respect and trust rather than being known for snatching pocketbooks.