The Dynamic , Mrs. Jones
In Langston Hughes's short story "Thank You M'am," we see a wise and courageous old woman, by the name of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones open her home to a naive and impulsive boy who tries to steal from her. Mrs. Jones is a dynamic character who is presented as a reliant, kind-hearted and generous woman.
Mrs. Jones is portrayed as reliant a woman because she does not watch the Roger in her house. In quote “The door was open. He could make a dash for it down the hall. He could of ran!” Mrs. Jones shows her dependability to Roger. She puts trust into Roger and she knows that he is not going to choose to run away. Nevertheless, she left her purse behind her on the day bed where Roger sits. She is quite sure that Roger is not going to attempt to rob her again which seems to be the reason behind her leaving her purse out in plain sight. Mrs. Jones’ behavior is not normal because she only knows Roger for an hour, and allows a “thief” into her home.
Mrs. Jones is kind-hearted. "Lady, I'm sorry," whispered the boy. "Umhum!" Your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain't you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?", Mrs. Jones surprisingly begins to ask him about his well being instead of immediately questioning him about trying to steal her pocket book. Before she got robbed, she catches Roger and chooses to teach him the lesson of his life instead of calling the police. When she begins to offer him good advice and hospitality, he ultimately learns to trust people and that stealing is wrong. She washes him and feeds him like a mother type figure.
Mrs. Jones is generous and does not expect anything in return. She gives ten dollars to Roger to buy himself the pair of blue-suede shoes that he wanted. However, she feels the need to definitely teach Roger a lesson considering the fact that she can relate to what he is going through. She gives him dinner and also explains to him how wrong it is to...