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The frail, impoverished young boy who attempts to rob Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones at the start of the story in the hopes of being able to buy himself a pair of blue suede shoes. When his robbery fails, Mrs. Jones drags the frightened Roger back to her house, where she insists he clean himself up and eat some supper. Although the details of Roger’s background are largely unspoken, his many silences signal that he is likely embarrassed by his home, his absent family, and his poverty. At the start of the story he refuses to take responsibility for his actions, instead struggling to escape Mrs. Jones’s grasp and lying about his attempted theft. As the story progresses, however, the story implies that Mrs. Jones’s kindness has a meaningful impact on Roger—who, having been treated as a human being worthy of trust and compassion, is able to reorient his life for the better. For example, he chooses follow Mrs. Jones’s instructions to wash his face rather than run away when given the chance; later, when she leaves her purse within his reach, he decides he wants her to trust him and does not take it. At the end of the story, Mrs. Jones sends Roger on his way with money for his shoes—a signal of her faith in him to take his life in the right direction, and a message of encouragement that prompts his sincere gratitude. Though the story ends rather ambiguously, Roger’s positive changes within a single evening of meeting Mrs. Jones suggest that he has already taken steps toward a brighter future.
Roger Quotes in Thank You, M’am
The Thank You, M’am quotes below are all either spoken by Roger or refer to Roger. 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.
Roger Character Timeline in Thank You, M’am
The timeline below shows where the character Roger appears in Thank You, M’am. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Thank You, M’am
...evening, “a large woman” is walking alone “with a large purse” slung across her shoulder. A young boy runs up and attempts to snatch the bag, only for its strap to break; the...
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Still gripping the boy ’s shirtfront, the woman tells him to pick up her now-broken purse and hand it...
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The boy , who looks “as if he were fourteen or fifteen,” is “frail and willow-wild, in...
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...“roomers” who live elsewhere in the house. Finally, she asks the boy for his name: Roger. Wheedling him to clean up his face, she provides him with warm water and a...
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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 mistake: he wanted a...
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...incorporates some basic kitchen supplies behind a screen. For the first time, Mrs. Jones leaves Roger and the purse out of her sight. Roger takes care to remain in a spot...
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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 if he wants...
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Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones surprises Roger with the ten dollars he had originally wanted to steal. With this gift, she offers...
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