Mrs. Jones, The Hero In Thank You Ma Am, By Langston Hughes

In “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, the hero is Mrs. Jones because she made a positive change by teaching Roger a valuable lesson on right from wrong. “He did not want the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.” (Hughes, 3). This quotation suggests a shift in character, because Roger went from trying to steal Mrs. Jones’ purse to wanting to gain her trust. In order for that to happen, Mrs. Jones must have affected Roger in a way that caused him to rethink his actions. “The boy wanted to say something else other than ‘Thank you, ma’am’ to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so as he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door.” (Hughes, 3). Roger’s wanting to thank Mrs. Jones shows readers that not only was he surprised by Mrs. Jones’ forgiveness towards him but he was thankful

for the kind things that she did for him.

By showing sympathy for someone who did not deserve it, Mrs. Jones may have led Roger to be a better person in the future and to stop doing bad things to other people. Through almost unexplainable acts of kindness to a young boy in need of a second chance, Mrs. Jones proves herself to be the hero in Langston Hughes’ short story, “Thank You Ma’am.”

Mrs. Jones is a transcendent hero because through her experience of being a mischievous child, she was able to learn to do the right thing and mature. By becoming a mature person, Mrs. Jones used her wisdom to teach Roger to do the right thing and to help him mature as well. “‘I have done things, too, which I would not tell you son-neither tell God, if he didn’t already know.’” (Hughes, 3). By personally relating to Roger, Mrs. Jones shows she was once in the same position as

him, and understands his reasons for doing what he did. Mrs. Jones also shows she did things worse than what Roger did, and wants to make sure that he doesn’t continue to make the same mistakes as she once did. By having to make better choices as she grew up, Mrs. Jones could see where Roger was coming from, and did what she felt would help him choose to do the right thing in the future. “‘Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue 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. I got to get my rest now. But I wish you would behave yourself son, from, here on in.’” (Hughes, 3). From this quote, readers see not only did Mrs. Jones teach Roger a valuable lesson, but she also helped him out to get what he wanted. By doing this, she hopes that Roger will not ever feel the need to steal again, and will understand how far politeness will go. Through learning from her mistakes as a child and maturing, Mrs. Jones is a transcendent hero in Langston Hughes’ short story, “Thank You Ma’am,” by trying to understand where Roger was coming from, and helping him learn to do the right thing and become a better person.