Thank You, Ma’am Summary, Theme, Critical Appreciation by Langston Hughes

Thank You, Ma’am Summary by Langston Hughes

Thank You, Ma’am Summary, Theme, Critical Appreciation by Langston Hughes

Thank You, Ma’am Summary

A large woman with a heavy side-bag was walking down the pavement. The name of the place, the ruler may safely guess, was Harlem. Suddenly an urchin tried the snatch her purse by the strap. The strap snapped but the bag being too heavy for the boy to pull, he lost his balance and fell down on his back. The large woman turned around and lodged a solid kick at the posterior of the boy. Then the woman gripped the boy firmly by his shirt and made him stand.

Dialogues followed and the woman did not let the boy run away. It was revealed from the conversation that the boy had nobody in the world. The woman felt that since nobody was there to take care of the boy, she would at least; cleanse the face of the boy. So, like a kitten hanging between the forefinger and the middle, the woman dragged the boy.

The boy was in his teen, frail and longed to be released from the woman’s grip. But the woman dragged him to her home, a boarding house, pushed him inside down a hall. The woman, known as Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones still gripped the boy firmly. By then the boy had told her that his name was Roger, and she asked him to go to the sink to wash his face.

Suffering from an initial duality of perception-whether to run away through the open front door or not, he decided to go to the sink to wash his face. The woman knew that the boy was hungry and that was perhaps the reason for his snatching the side-bag. But the boy said that he wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes and as such, he needed the money.

The woman admitted that she also committed some silly mistakes in her youth but never stole someone’s purse. Mrs. Jones vanished behind a curtain to cook some food whereas the boy sat at a corner of the sofa from where she could easily watch her. The human bondage of mutual trust has already set in. The supper over, Mrs. Jones gave ten dollars to the boy to buy a pair of blue suede shoes and warned him not to steal ever. Out on the street, the boy wanted to say something to Mrs. Jones more than a mere thanks’, but couldn’t. He never saw her ever.

Thank You, Ma’am About the Author Langston Hughes

James Mercer Langston Hughes (1901-1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called “Jazz poetry”, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote about the period that “the Negro was in vogue”, which was later paraphrased as “when Harlem was in vogue.”

Growing up in a series of Midwestern towns, Hughes became a prolific writer at an early age. He moved to New York City as a young man, where he made his career. He graduated from High school in Cleveland, Ohio, and soon began studies at Columbia University in New York City. Although he dropped out, he gained notice from New York publishers, first in “The crisis” magazine and then from book publishers, and became known in the creative community in Harlem.

He eventually graduated from Lincoln University. In addition to poetry, Hughes wrote plays and short stories. He also published several non – fiction works. From 1942 to 1962, as the Civil Rights movement was gaining traction, he wrote an in-depth weekly column in a leading black newspaper, “The Chicago Defender.”

Thank You, Ma’am Theme

Langston Hughes short story, “Thank you, Ma’am” is an excellent example of human bondage. It is a proof that the world has still some people in it whose hearts are punctuated with love, care, tenderness and above all, a feeling for the wretched and the downtrodden. Roger, a frail street urchin in teens tried to snatch Mrs. Jones’ shoulder purse.

The strap of the purse snapped but the weight of the bag had impaired Roger’s balance and he fell on the pavement lifting his legs skyward. Mrs. Jones, a sturdy, strong woman caught him by the shirt and before the curious eyes of the bystanders, dragged him to her home, a boarding house. If Mrs. Jones had handed him over to the police; he might have either been tried in a juvenile court, or worse, sent to a Borstal school. Mrs. Jones dragged Roger to her home, had his face washed, hair combed and helped him with a supper.

Roger had no warm heart waiting at his home. He was a destitute. He tried to snatch Mrs. Jones’ bag as he needed money to buy a pair of blue suede shoes. Mrs. Jones gave him ten dollars to buy a pair of blue suede shoes and simply told him never to steal. Roger came out to the pavement, looked back. Mrs. Jones called him “son”-who tried to snatch Mrs. Jones’ bag.

Roger wanted to say something more than a dry “Thank you” to Mrs. Jones, but could not utter anything but “Thank you” before she shut the door. We can well perceive that the thief in Roger had paled into insignificance. Instead, a teen-aged boy took a rebirth in him. His transformation was complete.

“Thank you, Ma’am” is a short story written by Langston Hughes and published in 1958. Though Hughes doesn’t explicitly state what the setting of the story is, there are some clues that indicate the general place and the time. For one thing, the story was published in 1958, and the Mrs. Jones’ motherly heart got the better than that of an admonisher, and she made Roger wash his face, comb and sit in a place. Roger’s face showed that he was hungry and so she cooked some food and fed Roger.

Stiffened by the discernment and cruelty of the material world, Roger learnt that he must snatch things from others to get his own. But Mrs. Jones raised the curtain in his mind where from a boy, as innocent as others, peeped out. Mrs. Jones bade him good bye and Roger, who had so many things to unfold, could only utter “Thank you”. Therefore, the title is justified.

Thank You, Ma’am Critical Appreciation

“Thank you, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes presents a pen-picture of the socio-economic conditions of the African-Americans in America. The story is confined to two characters and these characters reveal themselves through dialogues and situations which are the essential features of a novel, rather than a short story. The narrative is neutral and provides insight into both Roger and Mrs. Jones.

The purpose of using colloquialism and sluggish dialect is to bring out realism in the story. Destitution, loneliness, insecurity, fears, greed are all mixed in the characters and the situations. The eternal human qualities like love, compassion, trust, respect and such other things, hitherto silted under the layers of inhuman, unequal socio – economic combat, are dug out from the depth of oblivion.

Thank You, Ma’am Characters

Mrs. Jones:

Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones or more simply, Mrs. Jones worked in the Beauty Salon of a hotel meant for women only. She had to work till late at night and walk home at that hour. The setting is probably Harlem, a crime prone zone in America where African-Americans prevailed by number.

Mrs. Jones was a well built, strong woman by nature and by heart. Once she caught a purse-snatcher on her way home. The snatcher was a frail, teen-aged destitute who wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes with the snatched money. What is expected at this juncture is that Mrs. Jones would hand him over to police and the police in turn, would either send him to a court for juvenile crime or worse, to a Borstal school.

Instead, Mrs. Jones dragged the boy named Roger to her home, a boarding house, made him wash his face, and then Roger sat on the bedstead like a good boy as awaiting his mother to cook his meal.

The front door was open and if Roger took a full blast out of the door, nobody could catch him. But he didn’t. Mrs. Jones disclosed that she also wanted things in her youth like others did, but didn’t get those. She admitted that she also did unfair things on her youth.

After that, it appears from the continuous conversation between Mrs. Jones and Roger that it was quite a normal conversation between a mother and her son. Mrs. Jones’ motherhood got the better and her fondness for Roger, until then a juvenile criminal, was evident from her paying ten dollars to Roger and from her warning, “I wish you would behave yourself, son, from here on in.” Roger was transformed into a mother’s son.

Roger :

A frail, petty, juvenile criminal at his early teens, Roger was a destitute. When he was caught by Mrs. Jones for her purse-snatching, he thought that the lady would hand him over to the police. But instead, she dragged her to her home, which was a boarding house, made him wash his face, comb his hair and fed him with a square supper.

Roger was never accustomed to such motherly behaviour. All he knew was that he must steal things for his own. He didn’t do anything at that age to earn his livelihood. He had a kind of home, but no warm heart waited there for him. Therefore, he took a short cut to success. He started stealing.

Mrs. Jones’ motherly love re-invented the innocent boy in him. When Mrs. Jones was busy preparing meal, Roger could have easily dashed out of the house. But the thought of running away from Mrs. Jones never occurred to him. He sat at the bedstead, like a mother’s child throughout Mrs. Jones’ cooking and had his meal.

When Mrs. Jones offered him ten dollars to buy a pair of blue suede shoes and bade him good bye, he was overwhelmed with emotion. Motherhood’s sudden gush of love almost inundated the thief in Roger and he was reincarnated as a human being- pure at his heart.

Thank You, Ma’am Annotations and Vocabulary

Slung — suspended, especially with a strap
Rattled — made a rapid succession of short, sharp knocking sounds
Tug — pull hard
Full blast — run away at great speed
Frail — weak and delicate
Willow — wild-growth like wild willows without care
Half-nelson — A wrestling hold
Latching — fasten a door or gate with a latch
tug — to pull hard and quickly
large — huge, quite big
pocket book — purse
turn loose — to let someone or something free blue feared sitter backside of someone wearing blue jeans.
short front — front part of a shirt
lima beans — edible flat bean
kitchenette — area of a room used as a kitchen
latching — fasten a door with a latch
supper — light evening meal after dinner
suede — type of leather with a velvety raised surface
presentable — work to be presented
ice-box — cold storage box to keep food.
gas plate — natural gas flame for cooking
popped out — to come out, appear
embarrass — to make someone feel uncomfortable
barren — unproductive
devilish — like a devil
stoop — to look down upon
frowned — expression of displeasure or disapproval
mistrusted — not trust worthy
barely — hardly, almost not
salon — beauty parlour.

Prism A Collection of ISC Short Stories Workbook Answers

Thank You, Ma’am Story Questions and Answers & MCQs

Thank You, Ma’am Story Questions and Answers

ISC Prism Workbook Solutions Chapter 5 Thank You, Ma’am

Thank You, Ma’am Story Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Describe briefly why did Mrs. Jones take Roger to her home and not hand him over to the police?
Answer:
Mrs. Jones was a sturdy, strong, courageous woman who worked till late hours of night in the Beauty salon of a hotel. Naturally, she returned home at late hours risking the perils of Harlem streets at night. In one such night, she caught Roger, a frail, teenaged, petty purse-snatcher who could not flee from her tight grip.

In such cases, it is normally witnessed that the criminal is handed over to the police. If the criminal is a teen-aged, the police usually send him to a court for juvenile justice or worse, to a Borstal school.

But once Mrs. Jones had a close look at the dusty, hungry face of Roger, her motherhood got the better of a typical civilian and much to the curious looks of the bystanders, she dragged Roger to her home, which is a boarding house. She had his face washed; hair combed and busied herself in cooking some supper for her and for Roger. Roger had enough opportunity to dash out of the house through the open door, but like a mother’s child, he sat on th bedstead and waited for supper.

Mrs. Jones’ hitherto bolted motherly love now was open. She confessed that she also wanted things in her youth she didn’t get. But she didn’t steal money for that to buy those. She also confided that she did a thing or two wrong, but that was not the right way. Mrs. Jones could understand that Roger was still like a wild willow and not a hardened criminal.

But in case he was handed over to police, he would be a professional criminal in no time. The human bondage between a mother and a son outlived the discernment, non-challance of the civilized society. Mrs. Jones gave ten dollars to Roger to buy a pair of blue suede shoes and bade him good bye with warning that he must not ever steal.

Actually Mrs. Jones purpose was to transform Roger and reinvent in him a young boy as pure as ever. Roger never expected that someday, somebody would care for him to wash his face, comb his hair and ask if he was hungry. At home, he had no warm heart waiting eagerly for his safe return.

Life for him was to be led either by tricking or by force. At every step, he had to be afraid of the law-keepers. To earn ten dollars by way of honest labour was an absurd dream for him. Pitted against poverty and distrust, he never learnt to trust in the human qualities of love and care. But Mrs. Jones turned the table. She shattered all his convictions against mankind.

Her motherly treatment to a petty purse snatcher, hovering along the streets of Harlem for easy prey, dug out the innocent boy in Roger. When one is down, it is not necessary to tread on his head. But if people like Mrs. Jones give him a hand-up, he might rise again shaking off the label of a criminal and return to the normal stream of human life. Thus, Roger’s transformation was complete.

Question 2.
‘Shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet”. Who said this? To whom did she say this and why?
Answer:
Mrs. Luella Bates Washington, a Beauty salon worker at one of the Harlem hotels, meant exclusively for women, said this. She said this to Roger, a juvenile criminal, whose juvenile crimes were not keeping with his age. Roger, a teen-aged urchin, roving around Harlem streets for easy prey, tried to snatch Mr. Jones’ purse. Being a strong woman, she caught him firmly when the strap of her purse snapped and the boy fell on the pavement as he failed to keep balance on his feet.

Mrs. Jones made the boy stoop down and pick her purse up. She asked if the boy was not ashamed of his action. The boy replied in the affirmative and begged to be forgiven. By then, she had a closer look at the boy’s dirty face. He was fourteen or fifteen and grew up wildly- with no human love and care. He wore tennis shoes and blue jeans and suddenly, although Mrs. Jones had earlier kicked him hard at his posterior for his crime, dawned on him with a motherly compassion. She asked further if he was hungry.

The boy, eager to be free from the grip of Mrs. Jones, replied in the negative and prayed to let him go. Still, when the boy struggled to be released from Mrs. Jones’s grip, he was given a solid jerk and that brought him in front of her and then with a wrestler’s twist on the boy, she continued to drag him to her home, which was a boarding house.

Once inside the house, Mrs. Jones got to know that his name was Roger and she let him go free pointing to the wash-basin. She realized that the boy had grown up among negligence, poverty, filth and unholy association. His growth was not supported by love and care. He just grew up like those unwanted weeds. She came to know that Roger had nobody at his home. He was a destitute.

She made him wash his face, comb his hair and then he sat on a bedstead while Mrs. Jones disappeared behind a curtain to cook supper for both. Roger could dash out through the front door as there was nobody to stop him. But as a weed grows up faster than those of the planted trees, Roger got the magical touch of motherly love and care in Mrs. Jones’s behaviour and that worked like a miracle in the mind of a juvenile criminal. So, he could not move.

Mrs. Jones admitted later that she also committed some errors in her youth, but she did not want to bring it to light. Much like Roger, she didn’t get many things in her prime youth. What she didn’t say was that she didn’t go out stealing from people to get money to buy things.

After supper, she gave ten dollars to Roger to buy a pair of blue suede shoes and advised him not to steal again. That was because something obtained by way of evil means would ultimately lead one to miseries and this was what she meant by the phrase under quotation.

Thank You, Ma’am Story Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What happened to Mrs. Jones on a night when she was returning home on foot?
Answer:
A juvenile criminal of about fourteen in fifteen years tried to snatch her purse.

Question 2.
Why didn’t Mrs. Jones hand over Roger to the police?
Answer:
Having a close look at the dusty, frail and hungry face, Mrs. Jones took pity on Roger and didn’t hand him over to the police.

Question 3.
How did Roger become a juvenile criminal?
Answer:
Roger was a destitute and grew up like an unwanted weed. Poverty and hunger made him desperate to own things by foul meAnswer:Thus he became a juvenile criminal.

Question 4.
How did Mrs. Jones drag Roger to her home?
Answer:
Mrs. Jones was dragging Roger to her home. But when Roger struggled to free himself from Mrs. Jones’ grip, Mrs. Jones gave him a jerk and brought him in her front. Then, in a wrestler’s style, tightened her hand around Roger’s neck and dragged him straight to her home.

Question 5.
What did Mrs. Jones and Roger eat in their supper?
Answer:
They ate some lima beans, ham and cocoa and then a cake.

Question 6.
Did Mrs. Jones commit some error in her prime youth?
Answer:
Yes, Mrs. Jones committed some errors in her prime youth.

Question 7.
Did Mrs. Jones get everything she wanted in her youth?
Answer:
No, Mrs. Jones didn’t get everything she wanted in her youth.

Question 8.
Why did Roger volunteer to go to the store?
Answer:
That was because Roger was moved by Mrs. Jones motherly love and wanted to do something for her out of gratitude.

Question 9.
What was Mrs. Jones parting advice to Roger?
Answer:
Anything owned by foul means, would bring nothing but miseries in life. Roger must give up stealing.

Question 10.
Why couldn’t Roger say anything else but ‘’Thank you” to Mrs. Jones?
Answer:
Roger, a juvenile criminal and a destitute, had never tasted motherly love and care. And when he got this from Mrs. Jones, his voice was almost choked with emotion. He wanted to say so many things at a time. But his emotion only gave way to a mere “Thank you.”

Thank You, Ma’am Story Logic Based Questions

Complete the following sentences by providing a REASON for each:

Question 1.
The woman’s bag was heavy because —
Answer:
It was loaded with several things of her daily needs.

Question 2.
The boy fell down on the.ground because —
Answer:
The bag was too heavy for the boy to snatchs and run away with it, so he fell on the ground, unable to maintain his balance.

Question 3.
Mrs Jones kiched the boy because —
Answer:
The boy tried to snatch the huge bag which he was carrying on her shoulders at night. Then she took hold of the frail boy.

Question 4.
Mrs. Jones bent down because —
Answer:
she had to pick the bag and also grasp the boy who tried to snatch her bag and run away with it.

Question 5.
The boy attempted the theft because —
Answer:
He was tempted by a desire to have blue suede shoes.

Question 6.
The boy could not set himself free because —
Answer:
The woman was quite heavy and well-built and she caught the boy by his shirt. The frail boy failed to free himself.

Question 7.
Mrs. Lucila Bates Washington. Jones dragged the boy to her house —
Answer:
Because the boy looked weak and untidy. The heavy lady wanted to wash and clean the young lad.

Question 8.
The boy did not run away with the woman purse, when there was on opportunity for him to do so because —
Answer:
The boy lacked the strength to take away the heavy purse, he lost his balance while snatching the heavy purse and fell down due to its weight.

Question 9.
The boy behaved like an obedient student because —
Answer:
The frail boy was caught by the heavy lady while snatching her bag. He was so frightened and weak that the strong woman made him behave the way she wanted.

Question 10.
Roger looked quite shabby
Answer:
Because he wore dirty clothes and his face was also dirty. It prompts Mr. Jones to wash his face.

Question 11.
The woman asked the boy to go to the sink because —
Answer:
she wanted to tidy the boy. With motherly heart she instructed the boy to wait near the sink until the water was warm for him to wash. She offered the boy a clean towel.

Question 12.
The boy knew that the woman was not alone in that boarding house because —
Answer:
He could hear other roomer laughing and talking in the large house. Some of their doors were open too.

Question 13.
Roger dried his face again because —
Answer:
He had no notion what to do next. The door was open which tempted him to run away from the grasp of the woman but he didn’t.

Question 14.
The woman did not ask the boy any question about his family and life because —
Answer:
She does not want to embarrass Roger by asking questions about his family, parents and life.

Question 15.
Mr. Jones got up and went behind the screen because —
Answer:
She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the ice-box, made cocoa to feed the young frail snatcher.

Question 16.
The lady did not send Roger to the store for milk because —
Answer:
She was going to make cocoa out of his canned milk which she already had in her small kitchen.

Question 17.
After finishing the food why did the lady got up because —
Answer:
She wanted to give Roger ten dollar to buy himself some blue suede shoe and warned him not to steal or shatch from any body.

Question 18.
There was a continuous conversation between Mr. Jones and Roger because —
Answer:
Mrs Jones treated Roger like her son and shared her life events with the boy.

Question 19.
The boy could not say “Thank you, Ma’am” because
Answer:
The transformed boy desired to thank the lady from the core of his heart but had to go without saying thanks as she had closed the doors already

Question 20.
Mrs. Jones deserve great respect because —
Answer:
She helped the boy to transform without any motive and does not even let him show his gratefulness towards her. She is an ideal character who can bring change in society.

Thank You, Ma’am Story MCQs

Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

Question 1.
Roger couldn’t run away with Mrs. Jones’ purse as ………..
a. The purse was too heavy
b. People caught him
c. Mrs. Jones caught him
d. He was injured
Answer:
c. Mrs. Jones caught him

Question 2.
Roger wanted to steal Mrs. Jones’ purse as ………..
a. He wanted some money to buy a lunch
b. He wanted to gamble with the money
c. He wanted to have his bus fare
d. He wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes
Answer:
d. He wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes

Question 3.
Mrs. Jones didn’t hand over the boy to the police because ………..
a. It would be troublesome
b. The Police Station was far away
c. The bystanders resisted
d. Mrs. Jones took pity on him
Answer:
d. Mrs. Jones took pity on him

Question 4.
Mrs. Jones took the boy to her home which was a ………..
a. Cottage
b. Shanty
c. Boarding House
d. Palace
Answer:
c. Boarding House

Question 5.
“Half Nelson” means
a. Strangulate
b. A wrestling trick
c. Nelson’s son
d. A kind of food
Answer:
b. A wrestling trick

Question 6.
The first thing that Roger did at Mrs. Jones’ house was
a. Take bath
b. Drink some tea
c. Clean the floors
d. Wash his face
Answer:
d. Wash his face

Question 7.
The door was open, nut still Roger didn’t run away because ………..
a. He was afraid to get caught
b. His legs were tied
c. He was tired
d. Mrs. Jones’ motherly love cast a spell on him
Answer:
d. Mrs. Jones’ motherly love cast a spell on him

Question 8.
By saying, “I have sine things too.” Mrs. Jones meant that
a. She did some great things
b. She was good in sports
c. She committed some mistakes
d. She performed well in her school
Answer:
c. She committed some mistakes

Question 9.
“So you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy. The boy said so because …………..
a. He wanted to flee
b. He wanted to do something for Mrs. Jones
c. He wanted to get some money
d. He wanted to steal from the store
Answer:
b. He wanted to do something for Mrs. Jones

Question 10.
“Eat some more – ”she said ……………
a. dear
b. Lad
c. Father
d. Son
Answer:
d. Son

Question 11.
Mrs. Jones gave – dollars to Roger
a. 15
b. 12
c. 14
d. 10
Answer:
d. 10

Question 12.
“Shoes come by devilish like that will – your feet”.
a. Soothe
b. Blister
c. Burn
d. Comfort
Answer:
c. Burn

Question 13.
“Do not make the mistake of – on to my pocket book”
a. Sticking
b. Latching
c. Snatching
d. Hatching
Answer:
b. Latching

Question 14.
“Thank you, Ma’am” is a story that tells about the – of a juvenile criminal.
a. Transportation
b. Elevation
c. Transformation
d. Deportation
Answer:
c. Transformation

Question 15.
“He barely managed to say,” – ”before she shut the door”
a. Good Bye
b. Good Night
c. Good Morning
d. Thank You
Answer:
d. Thank You

Prism A Collection of ISC Short Stories Workbook Answers