Topic > Character Analysis of Mrs. Jones in Thank You, Mrs. by Langston Hughes

An old lady walks down the street of a dark alley. Suddenly, a mischievous boy steals her bag. Imagine the look of fear in his eyes! In “Thank You, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, the same thing happens to Mrs. Jones. As the story begins, Mrs. Jones walks down a dark midnight street. Suddenly, he approaches a boy named Roger with a mischievous look. Roger wants money to buy blue suede shoes even though he is found without money. As a result, Roger steals Mrs. Jones' wallet! Then he is welcomed by Mrs. Jones for dinner. Roger learns a valuable lesson from her. Mrs. Jones presents herself as a sophisticated and welcoming woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To start, Ms. Jones is very prestigious. Mrs. Jones welcomes Roger and notices his face. She blurted out, “Um-hum! And your face is dirty." Mrs. Jones expects more than Roger can give. He doesn't want it to be so dirty, because that makes him look bad. Secondly, Mrs. Jones wants to take Roger to dinner but holds back because he is dirty. She snaps: “Not with that face. I wouldn't take you anywhere." Mrs. Jones won't be seen with a dirty looking boy. This evidence shows that she is very sharp and correct. Finally, near the end of the story, Mrs. Jones gives Roger money to buy some blue suede shoes. When he does, Mrs. Jones asks him to never steal a wallet again. When he does this, he seems powerful and in control of what Roger does. Mrs. Jones stops Roger from doing to anyone else what he did to her. For these reasons Mrs. Jones is very practical. Not only is it sophisticated, but it is also very welcoming. Mrs. Jones and Roger talk about his past situation. He shares, "'I was young once and I wanted things I couldn't get."' Mrs. Jones puts herself in Roger's shoes. He understands what he went through firsthand. Later, as Mrs. Jones walks away to her kitchen, she gains trust in Roger and leaves her purse on the couch. Mrs. Jones now had faith in Roger. Accept his past self and trust that he doesn't act like that guy. At dinner, Mrs. Jones keeps her thoughts to herself: "The woman didn't ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his parents, or anything that might embarrass him." Mrs. Jones knows that Roger has a difficult home life and past. She accepts it and moves on. Overall, Ms. Jones is understanding. All in all, Ms. Jones has two main qualities; she is sharp and welcoming. Mrs. Jones shows her personality throughout the story. It teaches the reader an important lesson that the story reflects. Mrs. Jones teaches that trust gives back. In the story, Roger doesn't feel the need for anyone to trust him. His opinion changes once Roger meets Mrs. Jones. Roger wants her to trust him after everything that happened. Once he trusts Roger, everything fills up. The reader learns this valuable lesson from the book.