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Roger
The protagonist of the story, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is the stern yet immensely generous woman whom Roger attempts to rob. Introduced as a older, “large woman with a large purse,” Mrs. Jones refuses to let Roger run off after his bungled robbery. She at first scolds him, and then—upon realizing that he likely has no family looking out for him—drags him home with her to get him cleaned up and fed. Despite her numerous last names (and implied marriages), she lives on her own in a boarding house; her comment to Roger that he “ought to be [her] son” so that she could teach him “right from wrong” quickly establishes her as a maternal figure for the young boy. Mrs. Jones treats Roger not only with kindness but also with true respect, trusting him not to run off or attempt to steal her purse again once they enter her home. This, in turn, is revealed to have a meaningful effect on the boy, who longs to become worthy of her trust. She further reveals her empathy by refusing to judge Roger’s behavior, not pressing him on his clearly troubled home life nor moralizing about his attempted crime. Instead, she insists that she, too, has “done things” she’s not proud of. At the end of the story Mrs. Jones gives Roger money before sending him on his way, a gesture of trust and goodwill that signals her faith in his ability to make better decisions for himself.
Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones Quotes in Thank You, M’am
The Thank You, M’am quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones or refer to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Thank You, M’am Quotes
“You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong.”
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“[…] Are you hungry?”
“No’m,” said the being-dragged boy. “I just want you to turn me loose.”
“Was I bothering you when I turned that corner?” asked the woman.
“No’m.”
“But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you think that contact is not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.”
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“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, whereupon she turned him loose — at last. Roger looked at the door — looked at the woman — looked at the door — and went to the sink.
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“I believe you’re hungry — or been hungry — to try to snatch my pocketbook!”
“I want a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy.
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The door was open. He could make a dash for it down the hall. He could run, run, run, run!
The woman was sitting on the daybed. After a while she said, “I were young once and I wanted things I could not get.”
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“You thought I was going to say but, didn’t you? You thought I was going to say, but I didn’t snatch people’s pocketbooks. Well, I wasn’t going to say that.” Pause. Silence. “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son — neither tell God, if He didn’t already know. Everybody’s got something in common. So you set down while I fix us something to eat. You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.”
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But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room, away from the purse, where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
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Now here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody’s else’s – because shoes got by devilish ways will burn your feet.
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The boy wanted to say something other than, ‘Thank you, m’am’ to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but although his lips moved, he couldn’t even say that […]
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Get the entire Thank You, M’am LitChart as a printable PDF.
Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones Character Timeline in Thank You, M’am
The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones appears in Thank You, M’am. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Thank You, M’am
At 11:00 in the evening, “ a large woman ” is walking alone “with a large purse” slung across her shoulder. A young boy...
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Still gripping the boy’s shirtfront, the woman tells him to pick up her now-broken purse and hand it back to her. She...
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...together. “When I get through with you, sir,” she says, “you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones .”
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The young boy continues to struggle uselessly as Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones physically restrains him. She takes him to her room in a boarding house--a small, one-bedroom...
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Talking about food leads Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones to suggest that Roger wanted money from her purse for food. Quickly, Roger corrects her...
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The story shifts its attention to the divisions of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones ’s room, which incorporates some basic kitchen supplies behind a screen. For the first time,...
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While Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones makes dinner, Roger asks if she needs him to run to the store. She checks...
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Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones surprises Roger with the ten dollars he had originally wanted to steal. With this gift,...
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