Themes In 'Thank You Ma' Am, By Langston Hughes

Some stories are there to just waste time while others embed themselves into a person, reshaping certain parts of their ideals and who they identify themselves as. They make the reader think about themselves, the society around them, and the workings of nature. One such story is written by Langston Hughes explores such things present during a past era that advocated to mold the society that America has become. “Thank You, Ma’am”, by Langston Hughes explores themes such as hope, love, and surprise/disappointment as was often experienced by the African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance. The story should be approached with a historic lens as the events taking place during the era, such as the Great Migration and the issues of segregation,
A great number of these African Americans resided in Harlem, New York with exceptional musicians such as Louis Armstrong brought recognition thus the start of the Harlem Renaissance as well as the Jazz Age. It was loved by every race and every age (mostly the youth), and integration occurred within the audiences as well. It brought great pride to the black people, however, it was short lived as the performers later found out that the rest of the country outside of Harlem was still the same. Racism, segregation, and discrimination were still present, even in the north. It came as a great disappointment to the people since they were told stories and thought the north was a kind of paradise, but it wasn’t all that different. The north definitely provided many opportunities for the African Americans, and the level of racism was far less.
The themes of hope, love, surprise/disappointment present in “Thank You, Ma’am” represent the themes of the time period as well. The theme of
Thus, “Thank You, Ma’am” should be viewed through the historical lens. Important events and ideas rose from the Harlem Renaissance, and these are all symbolized in the story through the smallest of details. The part where the boy tells Ms. Jones that he was stealing because he needs to buy shoes is important because during the Harlem Renaissance, the African Americans who migrated to the north due to word of job opportunities were extremely poor people who were exploited from even though they barely had anything in the first place. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the boy was something like a sharecropper who had lost his family and was now on his own. Understanding the history and what happened during the time period helps to better understand the characters and why they look and act the way they do, and even how the author decides to present the story as well. The historic lens also helps to cover the little holes in the story that the author may have left the audience to figure out. For example, the background of the characters, who exactly Ms. Jones is, and who the boy is, and how an act of thievery brought about such impact in both of their lives. Something like this could’ve most likely taken place in Harlem during the era due to the integration that was taking place only in Harlem. The historical lens provides a very good understanding of the story as a whole, connecting