Thank You M Am By Langston Hughes

Forgiveness and compassion have the power to greatly impact a person’s life. This can be observed in the short story “Thank You M’am” by Langston Hughes. Mrs Jones’s kindness towards Roger changes him in many ways. Roger learns to be more trusting, learns that people are willing to give second chances and he als learns that he is not alone and other people have had similar experiences to him. Roger starts out as a poor boy trying to steal a woman’s pocket book, but as the story continues, readers see that he is becoming more trusting of Mrs. Jones. An example of this is when Mrs. Jones first let's Roger go. “...whereupon she turned him loose...Roger looked at the door-looked at the woman-looked at the door-and went to the sink.” (358) This proves how Roger was beginning to trust Mrs. Jones, he could have ran right out the door, never to see Mrs. Jones again. But Roger chose to stay, displaying his growing trust for the woman. Even as the story progresses, Roger begins to stop thinking about escape. Without Mrs. Jones, he would still have been untrustworthy as well as untrusting.
Luella Bates Washington Jones. Sure, she does give him a good scolding, but she also gives him a second chance, something most people wouldn't do. “‘You gonna take me to jail?’ asked the boy… ‘Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere.’” (358) Although the woman isn't seriously answering this question, she isn't going to take him to the police. Through her kindness, Roger learns that there are people who are willing to give him a second chance. This is something he may not have known