What does the quote, "You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?”...

Langston Hughes' short story “Thank You, M'am” is about a large, strong willed woman named Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones who apprehends a young thief named Roger as he attempts to steal her purse.

The quotation you are working with occurs in the first half of the story as Mrs. Jones is dragging the smaller, bewildered boy down the street to her apartment. Hughes uses this quotation and the rest of the story to illustrate...

Langston Hughes' short story “Thank You, M'am” is about a large, strong willed woman named Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones who apprehends a young thief named Roger as he attempts to steal her purse.

The quotation you are working with occurs in the first half of the story as Mrs. Jones is dragging the smaller, bewildered boy down the street to her apartment. Hughes uses this quotation and the rest of the story to illustrate the power of human compassion and kindness. These are the first kind words she speaks to him, and they signal a significant change in the tone of the story, foreshadowing what is about to happen between them in her apartment.

Roger was undoubtedly expecting something much different than the treatment he received from Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones reveals her concern for Roger when she says,

I believe you're hungry—or been hungry—to try to snatch my pocketbook.

The clueless boy responds with:

I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes.

We would expect Mrs. Jones to respond with indignation at this point, but she does not. Instead she reveals a kind nature by speaking to the boy like a family member, cooking for him, and finally giving him ten dollars on his way out.