40 pages 1 hour read

Langston Hughes

Thank You, M'am

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1958

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“[T]he boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance so, instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter.” 


(Paragraph 1)

Roger’s failed attempt to rob Mrs. Jones is both the catalyst for the rest of the plot and an important moment in its own right. The above passage, for instance, juxtaposes the two characters in a way that offers insight into both. The fumbling way Roger grabs the purse only to trip and fall suggests that he’s not an experienced thief, and perhaps also that his heart isn’t truly in the effort; the fact that he loses his balance so easily also hints at his slight stature, which Hughes later confirms. By contrast, Mrs. Jones’s response highlights her decisiveness and physical strength; apparently unperturbed by the attempted robbery, Mrs. Jones “simply” turns and kicks Roger.

Quotation Mark Icon

“The woman said, ‘What did you want to do it for?’

The boy said, ‘I didn’t aim to.’

She said, ‘You a lie!’” 


(Paragraphs 5-7)

The above exchange is significant given the overall emphasis the story places on personal responsibility. Although Roger eventually explains why he tried to rob Mrs. Jones, his initial instinct is to deny having intended to steal from her at all. This seems hard to square with Roger’s actions, and Mrs. Jones immediately pegs it as a lie, effectively demanding that he admit to “wanting” to steal. She does so not in anger or vengefulness but in an attempt to instill in Roger a sense of agency; if he is accountable for the harm he does, then he is also capable of and responsible for doing good.

Related Titles

By Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Dreams

Langston Hughes

Dreams

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Harlem

Langston Hughes

Harlem

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

I look at the world

Langston Hughes

I look at the world

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

I, Too

Langston Hughes

I, Too

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Mother to Son

Langston Hughes

Mother to Son

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

Mulatto

Langston Hughes

Mulatto

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Study Guide
logo

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Tired

Langston Hughes

Tired

Langston Hughes