Short Story Analysis Essay

Submitted By Jimmyduong

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Pages: 2

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“Thank you Ma’am” is a short story written by Langston Hughes. It features two main characters, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, the protagonist, and Roger, the antagonist. This story is an excellent source of social value and the author does a great job connecting to the audience. It takes place at night while Mrs. Jones walks home from work and a boy, Roger, decides to steal her purse and fails. The story takes a unique alteration after Mrs. Jones has roger in her custody. She does not punish him in any way but instead utilizes the situation to her advantage to teach him right from wrong. The main themes that Hughes focuses on with this piece are love and trust, dignity and forgiveness. Even though people make mistakes, everyone is held accountable to fix their own problems for a chance to better themselves for the long run.

There was a balance of emotions that brought this story together which kept readers interested. The fact that Roger was a young boy whose intentions were wrongful, Mrs. Jones took the oath of being a role model for him to establish a sense of compassion so that he could receive the right impression and hopefully change. She takes Roger back to her house to clean him, feed him, and lecture him. The quotes said by Mrs. Jones, “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son, neither tell God, if he didn’t already know,” gives readers access to connect with the characters as if we too, need to evaluate how we control the world around us.

A good literary analysis is from the authors point of view. After reading, “Thank you Ma’am,” I found myself questioning poverty. It brought attention to me in several ways that required critical thinking. Why is an older lady

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