“Thank You Ma'am” by Langston Hughes

“Thank You Ma'am” is a short story written by Langston Hughes. This story was published in 1958. Hughes was born in 1902 and started writing at an early age. His first article was published when he was in high school. His artwork present in written form represents his viewpoint of seeing things. His early life tragedy, separation of his parents forced him to live with his grandmother. He didn't have a reputable start in his careers, as he had to do some odd jobs including assistant cook, launderer, and a busboy. He represented his real life experiences in his writing.

Thank You Ma'am is a sequential short story in this aspect about a young written in narrative form. This story contains several dialects such ain't, gonna, I were, fix us, could of, representing a common conversation between people to make reader feel comfortable. The theme of this story is about children who live in poor neighborhoods, have very little to go home, are neglected and needs someone who cares; similar to the way Hughes was brought up.

The story begins with a boy, named Roger, who tries to snatch a woman's purse and finds himself in a situation that he has never expected washing his face, eating dinner, and receiving money to buy what he wanted instead of stealing money (Laurie, pp.2-4). It allows the reader to use their creativity in regard to each occurring event yet focused on the need to teach the boy a lesson about integrity through the gift of wisdom mingled with kindness (www.amlit.com). This portrays the artistic pole of the author's text and that is accomplished through realization. Hughes did this in her short story when Mrs. Jones stated that she had experiences when she was young too (Berry, Pp: 150).

The woman decides to take Roger back to her apartment instead of calling the police. Roger explains that he is in need of money to buy a pair of shoes. Roger is portrayed as a young boy, round fourteen or fifteen, that is roaming the streets late at night up to no good (Berry, Pp: 150). He is described as little compared to the woman. Throughout the story we see a change in Roger and how the woman has affected his life in such a short period of time. He is quiet and doesn't say much except for when asked a question. One can conclude that the boy comes from a separated household when he explains that he hasn't eaten because nobody was home.

“He could make a dash for it down the hall. Run, run, run, run”

This is the climax in the story Thank you Ma'am by Langston Hughes. This climax is a special one, because of where it is placed, how it is not commonly used, and well how it is used. One of the most amazing things about this climax in the story is where it is placed (Joyce, Pp: 136). The climax for Thank You Ma'am is in a ...