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

When Roger in a low voice defended his misdeed saying that he wanted to buy a pair of blue

suede shoes, Mrs Jones remarked that the boy could have asked her for the money. Roger obviously did not expect such a reply. Probably, all through his life so far, he had never met with such an experience when his desires got resolved easily. He stood confused, completely amazed, not knowing what to do or say. There was a long pause, a very long pause. Utterly stupefied, Roger tried to wipe out the water dripping from his face and looked at the lady trying to guess what next was waiting for him. Thought of running away through the open door once peeped into his mind but he lacked the urge to tamper with Mrs Jones’ trust.

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

The speaker, Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones expected the teenager, Roger who attempted to steal her purse, to ask her for the money he needed to buy a pair of blue suede shoes. 

Through this utterance, Mrs Jones revealed the affectionate motherly instinct in her. She could not stop herself from extending her helping hand to the needy and distressed Roger. She was hardly disturbed by his attempt of theft and dishonesty, rather she thought it more necessary to deal with the cause of such a deed. She knew it from her own childhood experience that the sense of loss and deprivation pushes even an innocent mind towards an evil act. That is why Mrs Jones dealt with the matter very sensibly.

“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?


“Now, here, take this ten dollars…”-Who said this? Why did the speaker offer ten dollars? How did the speaker advise the person spoken to? What was the reaction of the person spoken to?

“Eat some more, son,…”-Who is the speaker? What is offered by the speaker to the listener? What picture of the speaker’s character is revealed in this line?


 “…. because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet.”—Who is the speaker here? Whom was it spoken to? When did the speaker say this? What attitude of the speaker has been enlightened here?

“Goodnight! Behave yourself, boy!”-Who said this and to whom? What did the speaker mean by saying “Behave yourself”? How did the boy react at last?


“He barely managed to say “Thank you” before she shut the door-How does the ending appear to be in contrast to the way in which the story begins?

Describe the bag snatching incident. | What do you know about Mrs Luella’s home?


Retrace the course of action from the moment Mrs Jones caught the boy to the time they reached the middle of the room.

Bring forward the discussion that Mrs Jones had with Roger in her house. | Why did Roger try to snatch the purse of the lady?


Why did Roger not try to run away later although he had an opportunity to do so ?

What did Mrs Jones and Roger talk about while eating supper? What did Mrs Jones not ask Roger and why? What amount was offered by Mrs Jones to Roger?