What features of the character of Mrs Luella Bates are exposed in the short story “Thank You Ma’am”?

‘A strong woman with a soft heart’ is what characterises Mrs Jones. At the very beginning, when the boy tries to snatch away her purse, Mrs Jones catches the boy red-handed. Instead of calling the police, she takes the boy home. There she makes him wash his face, combs his hair to make him look presentable and feeds him. She even gives him ten dollars to buy the pair of blue suede shoes for which he attempted to steal her purse. Such an incredible act of generosity is aptly followed by her friendly, good piece of advice to Roger that he should prohibit himself from indulging in any kind of unfair means. The lesson that she learnt from her earlier mistakes, helped her make the boy understand that achieving something through hard work is much more satisfactory than gaining it by stealing. She did not intend to embarrass the boy by asking about his past. Instead, she wanted to enlighten him by presenting the example of her own life. In place of hating Roger for getting carried away, like an empathetic mother she tried to reform the boy.

“The boy wanted to say something else other than “Thank you, ma’am” to Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones’ – Who was the boy? Why did he want to say something else other than “Thank you, Ma’am” to the woman?

The boy who wanted to say something else other than “Thank you, Ma’am” was Roger.

Mrs Jones’ affection, care and valuable advice filled Roger’s heart with deep respect and gratitude towards her. The brief encounter between Roger and Mrs Jones inspired him to be a better human being. The blind love and trust which Mrs Jones showered on Roger made him dumbfounded. Instead of following the predictable path of handing him over to the police, Mrs Jones took the responsibility of transforming his life. When the meeting came to an end, a variety of emotions overpowered Roger. Though he wanted to express his feelings to Mrs Jones yet he managed to utter only two words -Thank You’.

Sketch the character of Roger.

“…and shook him until his teeth rattled.” Who is mentioned as “him'”? Who shook him? Why was he shaken?


“I’m very sorry, lady, I’m sorry,”—Who said this to whom? Was the speaker really sorry? Why did he apologise?

“You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong.”-Who speaks to whom? 35 Did the speaker manage to teach what he/she claimed to teach? Give reasons for your answer.


“I would teach you right from wrong.”-Who said this, to whom and when? How did the speaker transform the person spoken to here?

“When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.”-Why do you think the woman would prove to be unforgettable for Roger and what kind of a person would he remember her as?


“Sweat popped out on the boy’s face and he began to struggle.”-When did sweat pop out on the boy’s face? Why did he struggle? What next happened to the boy?

“You gonna take me to jail?”-Who said this? Why did the speaker think so? Was the speaker eventually taken to jail? If not, why?


“I wanted a pair of…shoes.”-What reply did the speaker get and how did he react?

“You could of asked me.”-What did the speaker expect to be asked? What light does it throw upon the character of the speaker?


“He could make a dash for it down the hall. He could run, run, run, run, run!”-Where do these lines occur? Who is the speaker? Who is he’? Why didn’t he run?

“I have done things, too,”—Who said this to whom? What do you think the speaker has done? Why did the speaker say this to the listener?


“I were young once and I wanted things I could not get.”- How does the utterance bridge the gap between the two characters?

“There was another long pause.”-What was the reason for this long pause? Was there any other pause previously? If yes, state the reason for that pause.


“There was a long pause. A very long pause.”-Bring out the significance of pause’.

“The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now.”-Why didn’t the woman watch the boy anymore?


“Do you need somebody to go to the store,… ?”-Who is the speaker? To whom did the speaker say this? Why did the speaker want to go to the store? What did they have in supper?

“And he did not want to be mistrusted now.” Who is referred to as ‘he” here? Whose trust did he want to win? Why didn’t he want to be mistrusted?