Character Analysis Of Mrs. Jones In Langston Hughes 'Thank You, M' Am
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“Do a good turn daily” is a phrase that millions of young men across America live by. It is the Boy Scout slogan. It is something people should live by regardless of whether or not you are a Boy Scout. Mrs. Jones from “Thank You, M’am”, a short story written by Langston Hughes, is a character that exemplifies the slogan. Mrs. Jones has many qualities: she is kind and pure above most things. Some may also see her as intimidating and strict. Regardless, she can be seen as a good person. Mrs. Jones does a good deed in the story by steering Roger off the path of a criminal. Roger tried to steal her pocketbook to get some money to buy a pair of shoes for himself. However, he was stopped by Mrs. Jones. One might think that Roger was going to get into a lot of trouble, but that was not the case. Mrs. Jones generously brought him into her home and fed him. She fed him plenty of food, and, just to make sure his stomach was filled, she told him to “‘eat more, son’” (Hughes 140). Another kind thing she did happened when she said, “...take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes” (Hughes 140). These actions alone show that Mrs. Jones is a kind person.…show more content… Before she even spoke a word in the story, readers were given a small action sequence in which Roger tried to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse. Langston Hughes indirectly described Mrs. Jones when he wrote, “The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in the blue-jeaned sitter” (Hughes 137). Readers can infer that Mrs. Jones is strong, as she was not phased by the attack and was able to subdue Roger without lifting a finger. It may be that Roger was not the heaviest boy, but do not forget that Mrs. Jones also had a fairly large and heavy purse on while she was doing