Mr Luella Bates Washington Jones Analysis

Trust is something that is gained through many ways. Trust can be broken, like rules and friendships, but sometimes it can around two ways. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, in Langston Hughes’ Thank You, Ma’am, demonstrates this behavior to a boy named Roger who tried to snatch her purse. She tries to teach him right from wrong. “ ‘You ought to be my son. I will teach you right from wrong.’ ” (Hughes pg. 1) In doing so, she took him into her house and she gave Roger, the boy who tried to snatch her purse, another chance to redeem himself and show that he is trustworthy of Mrs. Jones’ trust. She let him move around freely in her house, as a test, to see if he was willing to redeem himself. “The door was open. He could make a dash for it down the hall. He could run, run, run, run, run!” (Hughes pg. 2). This boy however does make an effort to show he is trustworthy.

Luella Bates Washington Jones taught Roger that he learned from was that you could always get a second chance for something you have done wrong. She gave him another chance to gain her trust.“But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner other eye, if she wanted.” (Hughes pg. 3) Roger also wants her to trust him and he wants Mrs. Jones to gain Roger’s trust. The second criterion Mrs. Jones guided Roger with is that he could simply ask for desired possessions. So, instead of forcefully trying to take her money, he could have politely asked for some. “ ‘Well, you didn’t have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes...You could of asked me.’ ” (Hughes pg. 2). Mrs. Jones is trying to teach the readers and Roger that just because you’re afraid of being denied for asking for something, it doesn’t mean that you necessarily won’t be denied every time. It is shown that Mrs. Jones asking can open up a whole lot of